Eva Lou “Manzey” Schmidt

SHERBURN:   A Funeral Service for Eva Lou “Manzey” Schmidt, 80, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and formerly of Sherburn, will be at 11:00 a.m. Friday, May 23, 2025, at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Sherburn, Minnesota, with burial in the Sherburn Cemetery.
Eva Lou was called to her eternal rest on Thursday afternoon, May 15, 2025, at Brentwood Good Samaritan Society in Le Mars, Iowa. Visitation will be held one hour before the service at the church on Friday. The Kramer Family Funeral Home of Welcome, Sherburn, and Trimont, MN, is assisting the family with arrangements.
Messages of Sympathy may be sent to the family online at www.kramerfuneralhome.com
To view Eva Lou’s Funeral Service, please use this link: https://youtube.com/live/wbyoKrfiuEk?feature=share
Memorials are preferred to be sent to First Lutheran Church, 327 S Dakota Ave.. Sioux Falls, SD 57104
Eva Lou (Manzey) Schmidt, who passed away at the age of 80, was the daughter of Henry and Lanore (Huse) Manzey. She was born on October 17th, 1944, and went home to our heavenly father on May 15, 2025, at the Good Samaritan Society in Le Mars, Iowa. She was the third of four children.
Eva Lou grew up in a place of ‘freedom’: a dairy farm in southern Minnesota near Sherburn. She could run in the cornfields and ride her bike down the gravel road without a care in the world. She describes the farm as a place where her family worked hard but enjoyed the small things in life. She looked up to her father, Henry, whom she referred to as a man of faith dedicated to the land and his faith in God. At an early age, she watched her mother prepare large meals and bake bread in the large farm kitchen. She learned to quilt, sew, and can from her mother, Lanore. These skills proved invaluable later when she started her own family. Her heart belonged to the place where she grew up. We heard many stories as she spoke fondly of her parents and siblings. It was a family united by love and faith. 
After graduating from Sherburn High School, she moved to Sioux Falls, SD, to attend Augustana College. She graduated with a degree in Medical Technology. While in line for lunch at Augustana College’s Commons, a handsome blonde guy, who did not have enough money to cover his meal, asked if he could sit with her. He somehow managed to get her to share half of her sandwich. They fell in love and on December 29, 1964, Harold Schmidt and Eva Lou Manzey were married in St. John’s Lutheran Church in Sherburn, MN, where she was baptized and confirmed.  
She worked at “Avera” McKennan Hospital, the Veterans Administration, and Nordica Dairy. Eva Lou appreciated our veterans and often remarked that we should be proud to be Americans. 
Throughout Eva Lou’s life, she battled significant medical challenges. She was a woman of strength and courage. Her faith is what she leaned on in all times. She could take something and transform it into something beautiful. She sang like an angel and was a member of the Augustana Choir, sharing stories of all the places the choir group had traveled to. As a pianist and trained in voice, she directed the choir at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church and later became a devoted member of First Lutheran Church. She served on the Sarah Ladies Aide Circle, delivered Meals on Wheels, and enjoyed spending time with neighbors over coffee and freshly baked cookies. She loved quilting, gardening, and baking, and was a generous volunteer in the community. Mom asked, “Do you ever look up at the stars? Do you ever wonder why there are so many? Each night, the stars give me hope.” One of the lullabies she sang to us as children: ‘Tell Me Why the Stars Do Shine.’ We know Mom is in a place of no more pain and that God will lift her on Eagle’s wings.
Eva Lou was preceded in death by her parents, Henry and Lanore Manzey; her sister, Lavonne Foss; her brother, Ron Manzey; her sister-in-law, Ardys Manzey; her brother-in-law, Arlene Foss; and her brother-in-law, Edward Schmidt. 
  Eva Lou is survived by Harold S. Schmidt, her husband of 60 years, who resides in Sioux Falls, SD, sister, Jolene Manzey of Northfield, MN;  Aunt Lois Lee of Jackson, MN; sister-in-law, Darlene Schmidt Fortune of Fergus Falls, MN; and her sister-in-law, Boni Wolff of Portland, OR. 
Many cousins, nieces, and nephews. 
Her children shed tears of both sadness and joy, knowing that she is in heaven, free from pain: Karman and Rev. Scott Squires of Le Mars, Iowa; Kristin Schmidt Larson of Bismarck, North Dakota; and Erich and Heather Schmidt of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Grandchildren: Mari Anna Schmidt, Jacob Squires, Maria and Kaleb Thompson, Sarah Squires, Josie Schmidt, and Nolan Schmidt
Her little dog Sophie will miss her dearly.
We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the staff at Bickford Assisted Living in Sioux City, Iowa, for the care they provided to our mother over the past two years. Additionally, we are grateful to Brentwood Good Samaritan Society for Mom’s final days in a beautiful place, surrounded by caring staff.