Hester Onieta "Nita" Schemmel

Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, October 13, 2008, at the St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Mankato, with burial to follow at a later date in the Calvary Cemetery in Mankato. Visitation will be from 3-6 p.m. on Sunday, October 12 at the Minnesota Valley Funeral Home in Nicollet and will continue for one hour prior to the time of the service at the church on Monday. Minnesota Valley Funeral Home in Nicollet is handling the arrangements.To sign the guestbook for the family or to leave online condolences, go to www.mvfh.org She is survived by sons, Bruce M. Schemmel of Mankato, George C. Schemmel of Coon Rapids; daughter, Lynne Schemmel of Phoenix, Arizona; six grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; sister, Mary Sue (Brock) Lithopoulas of Duluth, Georgia; brother, Charles W. Brock of Noel, Missouri, Lynn Brock of Hutchinson, Kansas as well as numerous nieces and nephews.Onieta was preceded in death by her parents, husband, LeRoy James Schemmel on August 4, 2007, brothers, Ellis Warner Brock, James Albert Brock, Norman Dale Brock and David Wilhan Brock.Hester Onieta Brock was born on May 8, 1924 in Kasota the first child of Charles A. and Hazel L. (Adams) Brock. She attended Kasota schools, though she graduated from high school in Greeley, Colorado, where the family resided for a short while. After returning to Minnesota she entered the Cadet Corps Nursing Program and got her RN degree from Kahler School of Nursing in Rochester. On August 27, 1948, she was united in marriage to LeRoy James Schemmel.Married life and family took preference to her nursing career as she always loved baking and cooking. She threw herself into these arts, competing at county and state fairs. She took many purple and blue ribbons. Her biggest thrill was when Gedney Pickle Company chose her bread and butter pickle recipe and her picture was on pickle jars as a state fair winner. She also was the Minnesota winner of Crisco Pie Baking Contest. Her family knew that August was her month for baking and year after year she entered her latest creation, many times winning more purple ribbons.