Jean Schmer

Obituaries

December 31, 2013 - 12:00 AM

Jean Freeman Schmer, 71, formerly of Iola, passed away unexpectedly at her residence in Yankton, S.D. on Thursday, Dec. 26, 2013.
Jean was born in Conway Springs, on Dec. 5, 1942, to Samuel and Mary Elizabeth (Wolfe) Bechtel. Jean graduated from Conway Springs High School and went on to nursing school at Wichita State University and graduated from Newman School of Nursing in Emporia. She began her 40-year nursing career at Allen County Hospital in Iola.
In 1961, Jean married Larry Freeman from Conway Springs. The marriage was blessed with two daughters, Kim and Lanette. Both of the daughters graduated from Iola High School before pursuing careers in communications (Lanette) and nursing (Kim). Kim continued on to obtain her nurse practitioner degree and Lanette obtained her master’s degree in sports administration. During Jean’s nursing career, she also owned her own business “Flower Village,” worked with Dr. Vernon Lee as a patient educator and worked at the Allen County Bank and Trust.
In 1989, Jean began working at the North Kansas City Hospital in North Kansas City, Mo. She met and married David Schmer on May 5, 1990, in Greenwood County. Her brother (Roger Bechtel) and sister-in-law (Ericka) stood in attendance during the ceremony. In June 1990, Jean and David relocated to Lincoln, Neb., where they raised David’s youngest daughter, Katie. Jean worked in St. Elizabeth Hospital, the Lincoln Surgery Center and the Ear, Nose and Throat Specialty group as a surgical nurse and nursing supervisor before her retirement in 2004. She was an active member of the Association of Operating Room Nurses. After retirement, Jean and David relocated to Yuma, Colo., before settling in Yankton, S.D.
Jean is survived by her husband, David, Yankton; daughter Kim Bodemann (Don), Hot Springs, Ark., and their children, Claire, Marcus and Isaac; daughter Lanette Stineman (Todd), Hot Springs, Ark., and their children, Brett and Molly; step-son Christian Hanson (Yulia), Riverside, Ill., and their children, Viktoria and Kira; step-daughter Sara Koehler (Tim); son, Taylor Trumbo; step-daughter Katie Anderson and her children, Alex Schmer, Ehren Anderson and Lena Anderson; sister Georgia Peterson (Denny), Milliken, Colo.; brother Roger Bechtel (Ericka), Eureka; mother-in-law, Helen Schmer, Scottsbluff, Neb.; and many nieces, nephews, aunts and uncles.
She was preceded in death by her parents Sammie L. and Mary Elizabeth (Wolfe) Bechtel.
Memorial services will be at 2 p.m., Saturday at Waugh-Yokum & Friskel Chapel in Iola.
Memorials are suggested to Special Olympics Arkansas, 2114 Main St., North Little Rock, AR 72115 or Special Olympics South Dakota, 800 E. I-90 Lane, Sioux Falls, SD 57104.
To sign the guest book online go to www.iolafuneral.com.

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