Lydia Emma Schildt (Reichert) 93, passed away Sunday, July 12th at Morrill County Hospital. Her funeral will be held at 10:30 AM on Wednesday, July 15, 2020 at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church at Bridgeport with the Reverend Allen Strawn officiating. Interment will be in Oregon Trail Memorial Cemetery at Bridgeport. The service will be livestreamed on the church’s facebook page. Visitation will be held from 3 to 7 PM on Tuesday at Bridgeport Memorial Chapel and one hour prior to the service at the church on Wednesday. Memorials may be given to St. Paul’s Lutheran Church for the Altar Guild or the repair of the belltower. Online condolences may be left at www.bridgeportmemorialchapel.com
Lydia was born November 8, 1926 in Milwaukee, WI, daughter of Henry and Christina (Steben) Reichert. She was the second oldest of 10 children. Lydia held various jobs in the panhandle of Nebraska before marrying Robert Schildt on March 3, 1946 at St. James Lutheran Church in Scottsbluff, NE. To this union four children were born and raised. They moved to their current farm east of Bridgeport in February of 1965. Lydia always worked alongside Robert on the farm, raised their children and kept the household in order.
Lydia was an expert seamstress. She loved to sew clothes for her children, including her daughters’ prom dresses, bridesmaids dresses and most of their clothes. She hand-embroidered pillowcases and tea towels, darned her husband’s socks and patched his coveralls for years. She took pride in her flowers, garden and yard. She especially loved geraniums, snapdragons, petunias, irises, Johnny- jump-ups and mums. She entered the Morrill County fair with her garden produce and beautiful flowers, especially her dinner-plate dahlias. She was always generous with her baked goods and Brach’s candy. No one ever left her house empty handed or hungry. Her specialties were grebble for Easter, rivvel kuchen for Christmas, and a different type of cake for her visitors every week. She loved her life on the farm with chickens, geese, cats, dogs, cattle and later on, Robert’s donkeys and llamas.
Lydia was a member of the St. Paul’s Lutheran Church and was active in LWML, altar guild, and prayer chain. She was a lifetime Sunday school teacher.
Survivors include daughter Connie (John) Amateis; son Robert George (Julie) Schildt; brothers and sisters-in-law Leroy (Gloria) Reichert, Harvey Reichert, Fred Reichert, John (Linda) Reichert, Virginia Reichert; brother-in-law Bob Frick; sons-in-law Gary Nuss and Jerome Pohl; grandchildren, Gregg (Doretta) Nuss and Missi Nuss (Mark Lockman), Justin (Megan) Pohl, Stephany (Joel) Hausmann, John Amateis, Kristin (Adam) Bahl, Brandon (Chelsea) Amateis, Erin (Cory) Stickney, Kylie (Jesse) Sebero, Colby Schildt; great-grandchildren Annabel Sauer, James Pohl, Jazlyn (Isaac) Hart, Lezlie and Dezyrae Hausmann, Morgan and Paige Amateis, Easton Applegate, Emma, Eva, Cade and Cora Stickney, Marshall, Lyla and Nora Sebero.
She was preceded in death by her parents, husband Robert, daughters Lynda Nuss and PamalaPohl; sisters and brothers-in-law Helen (Bruce) Hargreaves, Irene (Jake) Mehling, Clara (Al) Hart and Loretta Frick, brother Harold Reichert; sisters-in-law Delores Reichert and Alice Reichert and nephews.
