Mary Lynn Schmaltz

Mary Lynn Schmaltz – 73, Fargo died on Wednesday December 18, 2019 at Bethany on South University in Fargo. Mary Lynn was born on November 8, 1946 to Adam and Margaret Axtman in Rugby, ND. She lived on a farm near Silva, ND with her parents and five siblings. Mary Lynn’s early education was in a one room schoolhouse in the town of Silva, ND. After middle school, Mary Lynn attended Rugby High School graduating in 1964 before attending the University of North Dakota where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy in December of 1968. While attending UND, Mary Lynn enjoyed watching their Fighting Sioux hockey team in The Barn! While growing up on the farm, Mary Lynn really enjoyed helping her dad with farm work. When she was very young, her dad would put the farm truck in gear and start it rolling out in the field, then place Mary Lynn in the driver's seat to steer the truck back to the yard where her mom would jump in and stop the truck. Mary Lynn would also stand in the back of the sleigh and throw hay bales to the cows. Mary Lynn met Donald Schmaltz in high school and they were married in 1967. After moving to several different cities, they settled in Fargo, ND with their four boys; Mark, Scott, Chris, and Jeff. Mary Lynn liked to bake sweets during the holidays, was in a bowling league for a number of years, gardening, and canning the fruits of her labor. In her later years, she worked passionately on genealogy and put together a large family history tracing family lines back to the late 1600’s. Most of all she liked to spend time with her four boys and six grandchildren. Due to her extensive work on the genealogy she had completed, Mary Lynn was asked to go to Germany and surrounding countries by the Germans from Russia Heritage Society. She considered this a trip of a lifetime. While overseas, she had the opportunity to visit many historic sites in Germany and Austria. Mary Lynn spent her later years at Bethany on South University where she enjoyed going to church, stealing cookies from her floor mates and joking with the staff. She would also allocate prayers to her floor mates and staff on her way to church every Friday. Mary Lynn is survived by her four sons; Mark (Kelly) Schmaltz – Fargo, ND, Scott Schmaltz – Fargo, ND, Chris Schmaltz – Casa Grande, AZ, and Jeff (Julia) Schmaltz – Fargo, ND along with her four siblings Bernie (Jerry) Klein, Joan (John) VanDyke, Paulette (Larry) Osborne, and Leon Axtman. She is also survived by her grandkids Madalyn, Logan, Grace, Skye, Maya, and Aubrey. Mary Lynn was preceded in death by her parents Adam and Margaret Axtman and her sister Laurie Axtman.