Ella Marie Schultz

She was born on March 5, 1917, in Garland, Nebraska, to Theodore and Matilda (Brandt) Gade. She married Victor Schultz on May 24, 1940. After they moved to Illinois, she worked for many years in the Jewel Tea warehouse. Everyone knew Ella as a loving wife and mother, someone who would do anything for her family. During Crystal Lake's Palm Sunday tornado of 1965, she saved her children by hustling them into a basement bathtub just as the tornado tore the roof off their house.

In less dramatic moments, Ella enjoyed playing cards. She was so skillful at card games that she could almost always win, but so kind that she often let other players win instead.

Those around her defined Ella by her steadfast nature. They thought of her as a rock, took comfort in the constant smile on her face, and referred frequently to her incredible inner strength. She was a lifelong Lutheran, and her devout faith was a major source of that strength.

She is survived by her children, Patricia Schultz and Dennis (Maria Alma) Schultz; grandchildren, Sara (Scott) Davis and Victor (Kirsten) Schultz; great-grandchildren, Darren Demarce, Maya and Lily Davis, Hugo and Helena Schultz; her sister-in-law, Berdine (Bill) Priegnitz; and her many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husband and parents.

Visitation will be held from 10am to 11am on Friday, September 27 at the Historic Immanuel Lutheran Church, 178 S. McHenry Ave., Crystal Lake. The funeral service will be held at 11am. Burial will follow at Windridge Memorial Park.

Memorial contributions may be made in Ella's honor to The Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box 758517, Topeka, KS, 66675 or Immanuel Lutheran Church, 300 S. Pathway Ct., Crystal Lake, IL, 60014.

Arrangements were handled by Querhammer & Flagg. Online condolences may be expressed at www.querhammernandflagg.com. For more information, please call the funeral home at 815-459-1760.