Kathryn Ruth "Kathi" Schell

1944 - 2023

KATHRYN "KATHI" Ruth SCHELL

April 17, 1944 - January 27, 2023

Kathryn "Kathi" Ruth Schell, 78, of Yalaha, Florida passed away peacefully on January 27, 2023. She was born on April 17, 1944 in Ashland, Wisconsin to the late Ervin F. Kamm and Nan (Masko) Kamm. She married Thomas T. Schell on August 18, 1973 and he survives her in Yalaha, Florida.

Kathi was a 1962 graduate of Park Falls High School in Wisconsin. She went on to obtain her B.A. degree from the University of Wisconsin (Madison) in 3 years with dual majors in music and education, graduating in 1965.

Upon graduation, she relocated to the Toledo area where she resided for 37 years. For several years, she taught special education at the former Maumee Children's Home. As a businesswoman, she owned and operated video stores in Toledo.

Kathi touched so many lives with her joyful and compassionate nature. She met the world with open arms and welcomed many into her home with kindness. Her family and frequent houseguests were blessed to share in the bounty of her amazing cooking. She frequently volunteered at the local school and mentored at risk students. She will be remembered for her love of music. She often shared her talents by playing the piano during the holidays and would be the first on the dance floor when the music started. Kathi was the life of the party and her quick wit was always ready with a joke and a compliment.

Most importantly, she was a strong believer in the Lord's promise of the gift of eternal life to all those who believed in His only Son, Jesus. When the Lord asks her what she did to help her fellow man, she can humbly say she took into her home in Whitehouse, Ohio both foster children and Vietnamese refugees for many, many years, including her adopted "sons" Tom Thanh (Auburdale, Fl.) and Khanh Le (San Antonio)

She moved from Whitehouse, Ohio to Florida in September, 2002 to be closer to her son, Ryan, and her daughter-in-law, Emily.

Kathi is preceded in death by her only sibling, Ervin F. Kamm, Jr. (a West Point graduate). Along with Thomas, her loving husband of 49 years, she is survived by her children, Jeffrey M. Schell of Woods Hole, MA, Ryan A. Schell (Emily) of Clermont, Florida, and Allison A. Nortz (Jason) of Vancouver, WA; 4 grandchildren, Callie Jane Schell, Cierra Violet Nortz, Crosby Thomas Nortz, and Kelsey Maxwell (Pasadena, CA.); and one great-grandchild, Charlie Maxwell.

The family anticipates a memorial service to be announced at The First Baptist Church of Leesburg, FL. and a celebration of life at Mallard Lake in Oak Openings State Park outside of Whitehouse, Ohio sometime in the future.