Obituary of Lora A. Schnell

Lora A. (Poots) Schnell was born March 4, 1936 near Grinnell to Raymond and Mabel Reckler Poots. The family moved to a farm near Newton in 1939. She attended rural school there and graduated from Newton High School in 1954. She worked at Automatic (Maytag). Lora married Carrol Schnell on March 12, 1955. They made their home on a farm near Killduff. She was a member of the Atomic Starlets 4-H Club and later served as club leader for the Buena Vista Doers 4-H Club. She also served as the Buena Vista Township Clerk. She loved nature and was a Master Gardener, working at Earl May in addition to other part-time outdoor jobs. She was a member of the Killduff United Methodist Church where she taught Sunday School and was a pianist for the church. Lora was engaged most as a mother to her family--she encouraged her children to participate actively in the community. She never missed a football or basketball game, a concert, or any other activity. When she had grandchildren, she was also involved in their lives and in February, she took on a new role as a great-grandmother. Lora is survived by her husband of 57 years, Carrol, and five children, Chris Schnell of Sully; Gale (Scott) Kraft of Walcott, IA; Bernice (Dennis) Metz of Sioux City, IA; Kay (Randy) Larrison of McLean, IL; Chet (Ali) Schnell of Sully, IA; four grandchildren, Gregg Metz; Joel (Kelly) Metz; Nicole Kraft and Brody Schnell and one great-grandchild, Natalie Metz. She is also survived by two brothers, Jerold (Cynthia) Poots of Newton and John (Cathy) Poots of Waterloo, one sister, Irma Sarata of Lincoln, NE, a brother-in-law, Mel Haaland of San Diego, CA and several nieces and nephews. Lora died peacefully at home on Thursday, September 27, 2012. She was 76 years old. Lora was preceded in death by her parents and a sister, Alix (Alice) Haaland, a brother-in-law, Brian Sarata, and a nephew. Services will be held on 10:30 a.m. Monday, October 1st at the Pence ~ Reese Funeral Home in Newton. The family will greet friends on Sunday evening from 5:00 until 7:00 p.m. at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be designated to Skiff Hospice or the Killduff United Methodist Church and may be left at the funeral home.