Jeanne A. Schutte of Grand Island, NE died peacefully at the age of 89 on March 19, 2022, surrounded by her family at Riverside Lodge.

A visitation will be held from 4-6 PM on Sunday, March 27, at St Leo's Catholic Church followed by a wake at 6 PM. Funeral Services will be held on Monday, March 28, at 10:30 AM at St Leo's Catholic Church, officiated by Father Don Burhman. Memorials, in lieu of flowers, can be made to the Alzheimer Association Nebraska Chapter.

Jeanne was born on March 8, 1933, to Jacob and Irene (Hart) Schlick of Fairfield, Nebraska. She was the youngest of three children raised on a 320-acre farm. She went to school in DeWeese and Fairfield, NE graduating high school in 1950. She attended Duchesne College in Omaha for two years before marrying Marion Schutte on June 6, 1953. They spent the first four years of marriage in Amarillo, TX at the U.S. Air Force Base where they had two children. They moved back to Lawrence, NE in 1956 whereupon Jeanne taught school in Roseland, NE for two years while Marion finished college and they welcomed their third child. In 1958, they moved to Ravenna, NE and Marion began his teaching and coaching career while Jeanne became a full-time mother caring for their six children. They moved to Cozad, NE in 1965 where over the next 11 years they had two more children and graduated three from high school. In 1976, they moved to Grand Island with their five school-aged children. Jeanne returned to work in 1981 as a Media Aide and Librarian at West Lawn Elementary School until she retired in 2000 to care for Marion. Over the next several years, Jeanne served as Marion's primary caregiver and when he moved into the VA Home in Grand Island, she became a daily volunteer at the Home while spending hours each day with him. She continued to be an active volunteer for her church throughout her life. Jeanne was a member of both St. Leo's Catholic Church and Blessed Sacrament Church during her years in Grand Island.

Jeanne was best known for her cooking and baking skills that were well tested raising eight children. She was awarded the fourth runner-up in the Tri-City Tribune Kitchen Queen contest in 1972 where she was the only finalist under the age of 65. It was not unusual to be drawn into her kitchen on any Saturday by the aroma of freshly baked bread, cinnamon rolls and kolaches cooling on the table. Many catholic priests blessed her home on Sundays for a chance to eat her cooking. We also can't forget how she made every birthday special by decorating cakes – made to order. Jeanne's creativity and talents, however, were not limited to the kitchen. She spent many late evenings sewing clothes for the family and ensuring they always had a new set of matching pajamas at Christmas. She also made several Raggedy Ann dolls, log cabin and baby quilts to celebrate her family and friends. In her later years, she turned to writing, specifically poems. She enjoyed putting special birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, and family events to verse. She shared her love for her family and her faith through poetry and found fulfillment and her voice through her writing. She wrote her final poem, "The Pandemic Prayer" for the world in May of 2020 and the poem was shared via a news story on NTV https://www.facebook.com/NTVsSethandColleen/videos/when-ann-purdy-visited-her-mother-in-the-alzheimers-unit-explaining-the-current-/647146042506091/

She is survived by: Mike and Carmen Schutte of Kansas City, MO; Richard and Cynthia Jandrain of Upper Arlington, OH; Terry and Janell Schutte of Lincoln, NE; Dan and Ann Purdy of Boleus, NE; Brian/Chuck and Deb Schutte of East Lansing, MI; Robert and Wanda Schutte of Grand Island, NE; Tom and Fran Westfall of Lincoln, NE; and Michelle Buss and significant other, Mark McKenzie, of Irvine, CA; 16 grandchildren; 33 great grandchildren; one great-great granddaughter; and her sister-in-law, Dorla Schlick of Carmel, IN. She was preceded in death by her husband, Marion; parents, Jacob and Irene Schlick; brother, Paul Schlick; sister, Naomi Mertens and her husband Gene.

The family wishes to acknowledge the highly professional support and care for our mother by the staff at The Arbor at Riverside Lodge and AseraCare Hospice.  Condolences can be left at www.livson.com.