Phyllis Jeane Bartelt

PHYLLIS JEANE BARTELT, age 95 of Waseca, died on the afternoon of Thursday, October 10, 2024, at Mayo Clinic Health System, in Mankato.

Phyllis was born in Bertha, MN, on February 20, 1929, to parents George and Selma (Piere) Johnson. Her family moved to Otisco while she was yet an infant when her father began working as the only buttermaker at the Otisco Creamery. She attended District 46 Country School before finishing at Waseca Public Schools, graduating with the class of 1947. Two years later, on November 16, 1949, Phyllis was married to Charles W. Bartelt at Trinity-Wilton Lutheran Church where she had been confirmed years earlier. Her very first job was making and selling ice cream cones at the Pheasant Café in Waseca. She went on to work for the E.F. Johnson Company and Montgomery Ward before attaining her Real Estate License. Phyllis went to work for Donahue Real Estate in 1966, and she was proud to be the first female realtor in Waseca County. Phyllis ended her working years with a 22-year career as a school nurse for Waseca Public Schools, retiring in 1994.

She was a long-time member of St. John Lutheran Church in Waseca where she participated in the altar guild, Ladies Aid, mission groups, and the Welca Quilters. She had served as a past leader in the Boy Scouts, regularly volunteered at the Waseca Neighborhood Service Center, and was a member of the Waseca American Legion Auxiliary for over 50 years. Phyllis was also the proud recipient of the WCCO Good Neighbor Award in 2009 in recognition of her volunteer work. She enjoyed cross-stitching and working in her kitchen. Phyllis took full advantage of any opportunity to make friends and care for others, and she will be sorely missed by those that loved her.

Phyllis is survived by two sons, Mark (Jane) Bartelt of Waseca, and Craig Bartelt and his partner Nick Mercado of Los Angeles, CA; two grandchildren, Jayme (Justin) Jackson of Islamorada, FL, and Reid (Michelle) Bartelt of Appleton, WI; four great-grandchildren, Jace and Avea Jackson and Lucy and Maisie Bartelt; one brother-in-law, Willard Kormann of New Ulm; several nieces; and one nephew. She was preceded in death by her parents, George and Selma Johnson; her parents-in-law, Charley and Cecelia Bartelt; her husband, Charles Bartelt; sister, Marlyss (Wayne) Halle; and sister, Irene Kormann.

Funeral services are pending and will be announced at a later date.