Boneta B. (Ekfelt) Schmidt

Boneta Schmidt, age 93, of Glenwood died Thursday, April 11, 2024, at Glenwood Retirement Village. A memorial service for Boneta will be held on Wednesday, May 1st at 2:00 p.m. at Hoplin-Hitchcock Funeral Home in Glenwood, with Pastors Katrina Hoffman and Brenda Boogren officiating. Visitation will be from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday and resume Wednesday beginning at 1:00 p.m. and running until the time of service. Inurnment for Boneta and her late husband, Ordean, will be in Glenwood Lutheran Cemetery, immediately following the service. Arrangements are with Hoplin-Hitchcock Funeral Home of Glenwood.

Boneta Belle Schmidt (Bonnie), the daughter of Merton and Myrtle (Simonson) Ekfelt, was born on December 21, 1930, in Redwood Falls, Minnesota. She was baptized March 5, 1931, at Presbyterian Church in Delhi, Minnesota.

Bonnie attended 1st grade at Delhi public school, after which her family moved to Redwood Falls where she attended Redwood Falls public school through the 4th grade. The family moved again in 1940, this time to Belview, Minnesota, where she graduated as salutatorian from Belview public school in 1948. In addition to being an honor student, Bonnie was very active during high school as a member of the band, Glee Club, Girls Athletic Association, dynamo and annual staffs, theatre, and the cheerleading squad. After high school Bonnie attended Gustavus Adolphus College for the 1948-49 school year on a full academic scholarship.

She was united in marriage to Ordean Philip Schmidt on July 1, 1950, at the Congregational Church in Belview, Minnesota and they remained happily married for nearly 73 years. Bonnie and Ordean made their home on a farm in Posen Township near Wood Lake, Minnesota where they raised five children: Joy, Jenee, Sheri, Melanie, and Randy. In 1989 they retired from the farm and moved to Glenwood, where she lived the remainder of her life.

Bonnie was an active member of the community during her life with memberships in the Wood Lake American Legion Auxiliary (64 continuous years), Merry Mothers Birthday Club, adult leadership group for the Jolly Troopers 4-H Club of Wood Lake, St. John’s Lutheran Church of Wood Lake, and Glenwood Lutheran Church. She was an avid and accomplished bowler while a member of teams in both Wood Lake and Glenwood. In retirement Bonnie took up golf and enjoyed playing with her friends at the Minnewaska Golf Club. She will be remembered fondly by her family and friends as someone who also enjoyed sewing, reading, crossword puzzles, playing cards, family trips, attending Vikings and Twins games, and dancing with Ordean.      

She is survived by her daughters, Joy Munsch (Jarvis) of Savage, MN, Jenee Schmidt of Glenwood, MN, Sheri Anderson of Edina, MN, Melanie Brown of West Des Moines, IA; son, Randall Schmidt of Alexandria, MN; grandchildren, Andrew and Jackie Munsch, Aaron Anderson, Ashley Brown; and great-grandchildren Adalynn, Annabelle, Winston, Kailani and Antonio.

She is preceded in death by her parents Mert and Myrtle, and husband Ordean.

Bonnie will be remembered by her family as an especially loving and caring wife, mother, and grandmother who was always kind to everyone she met. We will miss her dearly!

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