Esther Schwartz, 82, formerly of Oostburg, a resident of Harbor House in Sheboygan, died there Tuesday, February 14, 2012.
Born April 19, 1929, in Monroe, WI, Esther was a daughter of the late Fred and Gladys Unger Schuetz. On July 3, 1948, she was united in marriage to Duane Schwartz in Monroe, WI. For many years, Esther and Duane were very active members of The Swiss Turners in Monroe and in Milwaukee. They spent their honeymoon in Cleveland, Ohio with their fellow club members participating in a gym meet. After their marriage they farmed for many years in the Monroe area. In the early 60's they gave up farming and moved their family to the Waldo/Plymouth area to pursue other opportunities.
Esther was employed by the Kohler Stables as Brood Mare Manager until her retirement. Esther was very artistically talented and used her talent to sew, embroider and create other beautiful items. One of Esther's hobbies was making beautiful leather products and for many years she made beautiful, hand tooled leather purses, wallets, belts and other leather goods for her family and friends. Duane and Esther also loved to travel out west and enjoyed their adventures in Wyoming, Montana and other western states.
Esther has been a dedicated, driving force behind the horse industry in the midwest for most of her adult life. Her dedication extended from the fine Arabians she bred and raised on their family farm, Ishtar Arabians, to the many organizations she gave her time and energy to over the years. Her love of horses began in childhood on the family farm in Monroe, Wisconsin where her family owned farm horses. After she married and started her family, she was finally able to buy a horse of her own, her first Arabian. Over the years the horse population grew on the Schwartz farm and Esther's entire family became involved in showing and competitive long-distance riding and, of course, pleasure riding. Having had so much experience with breeding and raising young ones at Ishtar Arabians, Esther put her midwife skills to good use for Kohler Company's Morgan horse farm in Kohler where she served as Broodmare Manager for 18 years. She had an uncanny settling influence on the mares before and during foaling and she delivered hundreds of foals on her watch.
With everything else she was doing, she still managed to be involved in helping horse people, and the organizations they belonged to. She would joke that her resume says that "I've raised five children and about four horse organizations", from local saddle clubs to state organizations. She helped found The Plymouth Trail Riders and was very involved with The Wisconsin Desert Horse Association. Since 1972 she was a driving force behind The Wisconsin State Horse Council and The Midwest Horse Fair, serving in so many capacities, so well, for so long, that it would almost be impossible to recount them all. In addition to the many awards she received over the years for her hard work and dedication to many of the organizations she was affiliated with, she was honored to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Wisconsin State Horse Council in 2006.
She is survived by her husband Duane, Oostburg; five children, Richard (Jeanine) Schwartz, Ormond Beach, FL, Steven (Penny) Schwartz, Sheboygan, Kathryn (Don) Schwartz, Troy, OH, Heidi (Al) Hess, Sheboygan, Diane Kanz, Brownsville, WI; nine grandchildren, Shelly (Tim) Boyd, Rushville, IN, Jamie (fiancé Todd) Schwartz, Richmond, IN, Anne (Jacob) Sander, Sheboygan, Melissa (Terry) Hogan, Davenport IA, Darrel (Tammy) Kanz, Clintonville, WI, Derrick (Bridget) Kanz, Brownsville, WI, Leah (Rob) Hess, Canyon Country, CA, Trisha Hess, Troy, OH, Tracy Hess, Minneapolis, MN; ten great-grandchildren; two sisters, Evelyn Ritschard and Doris (George) Norton, both of Monticello, WI; nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends. She was preceded in death by a nephew Roger Ritschard and a brother-in-law, Donald Ritschard.
A Celebration of Esther's Life will be held at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, February 25, 2012, at the Lippert-Olson Funeral Home, 1132 Superior Ave. Sheboygan, WI.
A memorial fund has been established in her name.
Esther has left this earth but we would like to think that she is doing what she loved ... sitting on the straw in the corner of a horse stall with a book and her calming influence on a mare that is preparing to give birth.
Condolences may be emailed to the family at estherschwartz@lippertfuneralhome.com.
Born April 19, 1929, in Monroe, WI, Esther was a daughter of the late Fred and Gladys Unger Schuetz. On July 3, 1948, she was united in marriage to Duane Schwartz in Monroe, WI. For many years, Esther and Duane were very active members of The Swiss Turners in Monroe and in Milwaukee. They spent their honeymoon in Cleveland, Ohio with their fellow club members participating in a gym meet. After their marriage they farmed for many years in the Monroe area. In the early 60's they gave up farming and moved their family to the Waldo/Plymouth area to pursue other opportunities.
Esther was employed by the Kohler Stables as Brood Mare Manager until her retirement. Esther was very artistically talented and used her talent to sew, embroider and create other beautiful items. One of Esther's hobbies was making beautiful leather products and for many years she made beautiful, hand tooled leather purses, wallets, belts and other leather goods for her family and friends. Duane and Esther also loved to travel out west and enjoyed their adventures in Wyoming, Montana and other western states.
Esther has been a dedicated, driving force behind the horse industry in the midwest for most of her adult life. Her dedication extended from the fine Arabians she bred and raised on their family farm, Ishtar Arabians, to the many organizations she gave her time and energy to over the years. Her love of horses began in childhood on the family farm in Monroe, Wisconsin where her family owned farm horses. After she married and started her family, she was finally able to buy a horse of her own, her first Arabian. Over the years the horse population grew on the Schwartz farm and Esther's entire family became involved in showing and competitive long-distance riding and, of course, pleasure riding. Having had so much experience with breeding and raising young ones at Ishtar Arabians, Esther put her midwife skills to good use for Kohler Company's Morgan horse farm in Kohler where she served as Broodmare Manager for 18 years. She had an uncanny settling influence on the mares before and during foaling and she delivered hundreds of foals on her watch.
With everything else she was doing, she still managed to be involved in helping horse people, and the organizations they belonged to. She would joke that her resume says that "I've raised five children and about four horse organizations", from local saddle clubs to state organizations. She helped found The Plymouth Trail Riders and was very involved with The Wisconsin Desert Horse Association. Since 1972 she was a driving force behind The Wisconsin State Horse Council and The Midwest Horse Fair, serving in so many capacities, so well, for so long, that it would almost be impossible to recount them all. In addition to the many awards she received over the years for her hard work and dedication to many of the organizations she was affiliated with, she was honored to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Wisconsin State Horse Council in 2006.
She is survived by her husband Duane, Oostburg; five children, Richard (Jeanine) Schwartz, Ormond Beach, FL, Steven (Penny) Schwartz, Sheboygan, Kathryn (Don) Schwartz, Troy, OH, Heidi (Al) Hess, Sheboygan, Diane Kanz, Brownsville, WI; nine grandchildren, Shelly (Tim) Boyd, Rushville, IN, Jamie (fiancé Todd) Schwartz, Richmond, IN, Anne (Jacob) Sander, Sheboygan, Melissa (Terry) Hogan, Davenport IA, Darrel (Tammy) Kanz, Clintonville, WI, Derrick (Bridget) Kanz, Brownsville, WI, Leah (Rob) Hess, Canyon Country, CA, Trisha Hess, Troy, OH, Tracy Hess, Minneapolis, MN; ten great-grandchildren; two sisters, Evelyn Ritschard and Doris (George) Norton, both of Monticello, WI; nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends. She was preceded in death by a nephew Roger Ritschard and a brother-in-law, Donald Ritschard.
A Celebration of Esther's Life will be held at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, February 25, 2012, at the Lippert-Olson Funeral Home, 1132 Superior Ave. Sheboygan, WI.
A memorial fund has been established in her name.
Esther has left this earth but we would like to think that she is doing what she loved ... sitting on the straw in the corner of a horse stall with a book and her calming influence on a mare that is preparing to give birth.
Condolences may be emailed to the family at estherschwartz@lippertfuneralhome.com.