Obituaries

Elsa Mabel Juhre Schmitz

Photo of Elsa Mabel Juhre Schmitz
Elsa Mabel Juhre Schmitz died peacefully at her home in Lincoln, Ark., on Jan. 31, 2014. Elsa was born on March 1, 1915, in Rogers, Ark., to Vera Smith Juhre and Erwin William Juhre. Her grandfather was Charles Juhre, who, with his sons, owned and operated the Juhre Meat Market on the corner of Walnut and Second streets in downtown Rogers. The Charles Juhre home at 406 N. Fourth St., in Rogers is on the National Register of Historic Places. Elsa was born in that house and grew up in her family's home across the street. Upon graduation from Rogers High School in 1932, Elsa took the train to Milwaukee, Wis., where she obtained her nursing degree from Columbia Hospital in 1935. Elsa was a dedicated nurse for the rest of her life. She had training and practiced nursing at Ripon College in Wisconsin, at Children's Hospital in Milwaukee and at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis, where she was a nurse in ophthalmology and plastic surgery. The last years of the 1930s found her employed in Arkansas as a county health nurse serving in Newton and Woodruff counties, among others. She also worked with the Extension Service in Benton County where she gave talks and demonstrations to home economics clubs. In 1940, Elsa moved to New York City and continued her career in public health. She studied nutrition and worked with many immigrant families. With the outbreak of World War II, Elsa joined a contingent of New York City nurses who volunteered for duty with the Army Nurse Corps. She was stationed at various fort hospitals in the United States before being shipped overseas for duty on New Guinea in the Pacific. On her return to the United States, she was assigned to the military rehabilitation hospital at Valley Forge, Pa. While there she met Helen Keller who visited military men with sight and hearing injuries. Elsa was discharged from the Army Nurse Corps in 1946 with the rank of first lieutenant. Following World War II, Elsa returned to Rogers and continued nursing for the next three decades. She was the office and operating nurse for Dr. Jim Pickens, the first eye, ear, nose and throat specialist in Rogers. The remainder of her nursing career was with the Veteran's Administration Hospital in Fayetteville. In 1965, Elsa's life took a different turn when she married Joseph Anthony Schmitz. Until Joe's death in 1999, the two enjoyed many trips sightseeing and fishing across the United States. Locally they enjoyed fishing with friends on Beaver Lake. They were active in the First Presbyterian Church in Rogers. Elsa's last four years were spent in Lincoln where she received the loving skilled care of the family of Glynn and Cynthia Sugg and their daughter, Ashley Smith. Elsa was preceded in death by her parents; her husband; her stepson, Bill Schmitz; and her two brothers, Charles Juhre and Heston Juhre. She is survived by her stepson, Joseph Albert Schmitz, his sons, Joseph Adam and Karl Schmitz, and eight step-grandchildren, all living in California. Services for Elsa Juhre Schmitz will be at 1 p.m. Saturday in the Rollins Funeral Home Chapel, 1401 W. Hudson Road, Rogers, Ark. The Rev. Carl McCormack of First Presbyterian Church in Rogers will officiate. Arrangements are by Rollins Funeral Home, Rogers. Burial will follow in the Rogers Cemetery. Donations in Elsa's memory can be made to the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing, University of Arkansas, 606 N. Razorback Road #115, Fayetteville, AR 72701. Online condolences may be expressed at www.rollinsfuneral.com.

Published February 7, 2014

Upcoming Events