Funeral services for Ella Schneider, 97, of Mobridge will be at 10 AM, Monday, June 30, 2025, at the Zion Lutheran Church in Mobridge. Burial will be at 3 PM, Monday at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery under the direction of Kesling Funeral Home of Mobridge. Visitation will start at 6 PM, Sunday with a prayer service at 7 PM at the funeral home. Ella passed away Wednesday, June 25, 2025, at the Walworth County Care Center in Selby.

Ella Elsie was born July 7, 1927, to Adam C Mertz and Rose (Aipperspach) Mertz in rural Walworth County. She attended grade school in rural Bowdle, SD and then graduated from Bowdle High School in 1946. After graduation Ella taught in a rural country school for 1 year. She then attended Northern State College (Known as Northern Normal School back then) and earned a teaching certificate. Ella then went on to teach 5 more years in Bowdle and Java area country schools.

On July 2, 1950, Ella married Vernard Schneider at Bowdle, SD. They lived on a farm two miles north of Java for the next ten years. During that time, they welcomed a son, Steven, on March 15, 1954. When Steven was 5 years old, they moved the family to Mobridge in 1959. Ella spent the first few years in Mobridge as a mother and homemaker. In 1968, she began a job with Stoicks Super Value which turned into a 24-year career. Ella thoroughly enjoyed her years there and had great affection for the Stoick family and her coworkers. Ella was an exceptional housekeeper; there were never any dust bunnies anywhere. Everything had its place, and the shoes always came off at the door.

Ella loved to bake when she wasn't working. Her specialties included lemon meringue pie, rhubarb meringue pie, and apple pie (from their own apple trees!). She also would bake all kinds of cookies, especially after the grandchildren started popping up! She loved her grandchildren and never turned any of them down for a sleepover with grandma. But poor "Pa"; he always had to move to the spare bedroom because they always slept with Grandma!

Turkey dinners with Ella's homemade dressing was a favorite of the whole family. She also excelled at fried chicken and dumplings. Nobody could beat her at either! In her spare time Ella enjoyed walking, both for exercise and pleasure. Along with her husband Vern, they planted a huge garden each summer, sharing the produce with family and friends.

In their later years, Ella gave exceptional care to her husband Vernard as his health was declining. After his passing in April 2019, Ella spent the summer at home but soon realized Prairie Sunset Village with its caring people was where she wanted to live. This was where she spent the remainder of her life. Through it all she kept her faith in God that one day she could go to sleep and wake up in his kingdom, being reunited with Vernard and all her siblings who went before her. God granted Ella her final prayer. She passed in her sleep the morning of June 25.

Grateful for having shared in her life are her son Steve and his wife, Theresa Schneider of Mobridge; grandsons, Scott (Mandy) Schneider of Sioux Falls and Steve (Nicole) Schneider of Mobridge; granddaughters, Lisa (Cody) Mathues of Parkers Prairie, MN, and Amanda (Jake) Tesch of Watertown; eleven great grandchildren: Anna, Corey, Caden, Bethany, Payton, Will, Livia, Zack, Carter, Zoey, and Dylan; brothers, Don (Marge) Mertz of Mobridge and Adam Mertz of Lester Prairie, MN; sister, Marge Thompson of Raymond, MN; sisters-in-law, Lynn Mertz of Mobridge, Jane Mertz of Mobridge and Mary Mertz of Pierre; brother-in-law Delbert (Joan) Schneider of Garland, TX, and many nieces and nephews.

Ella was preceded in death by her husband of 68 years, Vernard; her parents, Adam and Rose Mertz; brothers, Roland, Quintine and Allen Mertz; sisters, Ellina Barth, Eleanor Gab, Phyllis Geisler and Lois Vernier; two siblings in infancy; brothers-in-law Walter Barth, Johnny Gab, Kenneth Geisler; father-in-law and mother-in-law, William and Emma Schneider; brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law including their spouses, Raymond (Ernestine) Schneider, Ervin (Lydia) Schneider, Hilda (Merle) Wahl, Meta (Elmer) Lang, and Della (Leland) Berndt. -