Amber E. Lentz

Amber E. Lentz

Oct. 9, 1995 - Jan. 7, 2024

TOWN OF FRANKLIN - Amber E. Lentz, 28, passed away at her home in the Town of Franklin, Manitowoc County, on Sunday, January 7, 2024. Despite her challenges, she lived a full life.

Amber was born at St Joseph's Hospital in Milwaukee on October 9, 1995 to Robert and Marilyn (nee: Hintz) Lentz. After having her "butt in a sling" to help close the spina bifida lesion she was born with, she returned home to live with her parents and sister, Holly. She traveled to Yellowstone with her family, two uncles, and Grandma and Grandpa Lentz in their RV. She was at the 1997 Packers Super Bowl celebration, somehow the only one in the family not frozen solid. She was stubborn during her therapies, but started learning to walk. At 18 months old, Amber came down with hemolytic uremic syndrome, which caused extensive brain damage and changed the family's lives. They were told she could live "5 months, 5 years, or outlive us all." After the initial recovery, Amber became a happy little girl who would laugh at tearing paper and weird noises. She and her mom did about 300 "dives" in hyperbaric oxygen chambers to help heal her brain. The family made a memorable trip to Disney World in Florida. Amber and her Grandpa Hintz had major back surgery in the same year, and may have inspired him to get better faster. She was able to attend Reedsville Public Schools, graduating in 2014 along with her beloved nurse Sharon. Her favorite teacher Mrs. Stockman and fellow WILL students still came to play Yahtzee until last year. She was a special attendant in her sister's wedding, with her father walking her down the aisle.

Amber always loved being outdoors. The nurses often took her for walks around the yard, and when she got her jogger stroller she could go through her dad's trails in the woods, even swapping out the wheels for skis in winter. She loved the family's animals, and they all loved her. She was a fan of the Packers and Nascar. She loved music - bluegrass, Johnny Cash, Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons, and her mom singing.

Amber will be dearly missed by her parents: Bob and Marilyn Lentz; sister and brother-in-law: Holly and Andrew Christianson; and nephew, Caius; grandparents: Ray and Millie Lentz, Mary Ellen Hintz; step-grandmother, Sharyn Chase-Hintz; aunts and uncles: Cheri and Pat Kachellek, Jeff and Doraine Lentz, Kevin and Bridget Lentz, Marty and Gretchen Hintz, Marlene Hintz, Marcia Schilling, Mark and Debbie Hintz, Shelby Chase. She will be missed by many other relatives and friends.

Amber was preceded in death by her great-grandparents: Grace Hintz, Myrtle Lechner, Gertrude and Ray Lentz Sr., Mary and Harold Henriksen; her grandfather, Marvin Hintz, and beloved nurse, Krystal Billesbach.

A Funeral Service will be held at 11:00 am on Saturday, January 20, 2024, at St. John-St. James Ev. Lutheran Church, 219 Manitowoc Street, Reedsville. Rev. Darin Aden will officiate with burial on Monday, January 22, 2024 at 10:00AM at Kossuth National Cemetery, 8701 Polifka Road. Relatives and friends may call at the church from 9:00 am until the time of services at 11:00 am. The Lakeshore Family Funeral Homes, Pfeffer location is assisting the family.

Online condolences may be expressed to the family by visiting www.lakeshorefamilyfuneralhomes.com

Many thanks to the special nurses who took care of Amber over the years: Debbie Derenne, Sharon Brey, Laura Beutler, Mary Groh, Nancy Gibbs, Marilyn Keuler, Cindy Wenzel, Crystal Perez, Debbie Blahnik, Sarah Kohel, Tori Vandenbusch, Lori Kurkiewicz, Katie Brey, and others we are probably not remembering in our grief. They loved and cared for her like she was their own.