Jean Schiltz

Jean (Caporale) Olinger Schiltz, 91, of Caledonia, died peacefully July 3, 2015, surrounded by her family.
She was born Luigina Agatina on January 31, 1924, in Manhatten Boro, New York, New York, to Italian immigrants, Fiorentino “Frank” and Rosa (Criniti) Caporale.
She met Ambrose William Olinger at a USO dance in 1943 in New York and they married November 27, 1943 in New York. It would be two long years while he fought in WWII before they would see each other again. They moved from New York to Freeburg, Minnesota and later to Caledonia. After Ambrose’s death on November 19, 1954, Jean married LeRoy Peter Schiltz on October 4, 1958 and moved to a farm in Caledonia Township. LeRoy passed away August 20, 1973.
While Jean lived in New York, she went to a community college to study to be a pharmacist, but life and time kept her from reaching her goal. Jean worked for the War Department, New York Port of Embarkation, in Brooklyn, New York as a clerk in the Port Ordinance Overseas Supply Branch Requisition Section from 1943 to 1945. In 1946 she worked as a receptionist at a New York hospital.
Jean was very proud of her Italian heritage. She loved to cook and bake, and loved being with her large family. After the loss of her two husbands, she did an amazing job of raising her nine children on her own. She looked forward to all the gatherings and she was so proud of all her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Jean is survived by her children, Thomas (Brenda) Olinger, Caledonia; Robert (Vicki) Olinger, La Crosse, Wisconsin; John (Mary Kay) Olinger and Nancy Burfield both of Onalaska, Wisconsin; Patricia (Robert) Lemke, Caledonia; Cindy (James) Burg, Eitzen, Minnesota; Kathryn (Craig) Ladsten, La Crescent, Minnesota, and Linda (Mark) Schulte, Caledonia; 29 grandchildren; and 23 great-grandchildren.
In addition to her husbands and parents, she was preceded in death by an infant son and a son, Michael Schiltz in 2011; two sisters, Katherine Salamone and her husband, Salvatore Salamone, and Marie Huber; two infant brothers; brother-in-law, Harold Olinger and his wife Mary (Graf) Olinger and their son, James Olinger; and a sister-in-law, Mildred and her husband, Julius Eltgroth.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be at 11 a.m. on Wednestay, July 8, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Caledonia. Father Matt Fasnacht will officiate and burial will be in Calvary Cemetery, Caledonia. Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, at McCormick Funeral Home, 205 E. Main, Caledonia, where there will be a prayer service at 6:45 p.m. Visitation will also be from 10 to 10:45 a.m. Wednesday morning at the funeral home. Memorials may be given to ABLE Inc., or Camp Winnebago. Online condolences may be given at ccormickfuneralhome.net.
The family would like to thank Dr. Laura Krister, Gundersen Lutheran Hospice, Caledonia Care and Rehab and Buckley Assisted Living for their excellent care.