Florence Elaine (Miller) Schmitt, age 93, passed away peacefully on Friday, November 29, 2024.

Florence was born on July 15, 1931 in Scott Township, WI to William Dewey Miller and Mary "Mae" Alvine (Gustrowsky) Miller.  Florence graduated from Cambria High School in 1949.  She was a 1951 graduate of Columbia County Normal Teachers College, Columbus, WI. Florence met her husband, Robert Schmitt, at teachers' college and they were married on June 16, 1952 in the "Little Brown Church in the Vale" Nashua, Iowa.

For a brief period, Florence taught in a one room schoolhouse.  After marriage and children, Florence considered herself a farmer's wife and homemaker.  She was a very active person in her life.  She raised seven children, five boys and two girls.  As a mom she involved her children in Sunday school, 4-H (served as a 4-H leader), Girl Scouts, Job's Daughters and many school activities including band, field and track and wrestling. Florence was very interested in being a top-notch homemaker. As a result, she joined the Box Elder homemaker group to hone her skills and to socialize with neighborhood women.  She served many years as the president of the club.  Florence was a very skilled gardener who was excellent at canning, freezing and preserving the abundance of produce.  She attended many courses on nutrition offered to homemaker's club members at the Dane County Extension.  She also was active in her church (First Presbyterian Church, Columbus, WI, teaching Sunday School and participating in the church's Women's Association. She also joined the Guernsey Association as she became interested in raising registered Guernsey cows.

When becoming an empty nester, she became more active in her community and read to Head Start Children in the Sun Prairie school district, supported the Sun Prairie Historical Society, became a lifetime member of the American Guernsey Cattle Club (1993) and a lifetime member of the National Dairy Shrine (2000). She mentored many neighborhood children in 4-H club (including her grandchildren) who showed her registered Guernsey cows at the local county fairs.

Florence served as an elder in her church and became a member of the Welsh Gymanfa Ganu Association Wisconsin and attended the yearly Wisconsin songfest and many national songfests.

Florence also loved to travel with her husband Robert and then with anyone who would agree to go with her. She traveled to many countries in Russia, Canada, Thailand, and many countries in Europe. She traveled the United States to Guernsey conventions, Gymanfu Ganu Songfests and to visit family and friends.  She also took many day trips with a local bank around WI and surrounding states.

Survivors include her children Suzanne (John Barian), Robert, Larry, Peter, Kristine; seven grandchildren Alex, Hunter, Mena, Autumn, Evan, Jayden, Hudson; great grandchild Hadley; her brothers Kenneth Miller (Jackie) and Daniel Miller (Shirley); a sister, Doris Cupery (Leonard); cousins; nephews, nieces and friends. She was preceded in death by her parents; sons Brian and Kim; her brothers Alfred, David Miller and sister Ruth Mohr.

Funeral Services will be held at 11:00 A.M. on Saturday, December 7, 2024 at the First Presbyterian Church, Columbus with visitation beginning at 9:30 A.M..  Reverend David Hankins will officiate. Interment will be in Rosedale Cemetery, Cambria, WI.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Presbyterian Church, Columbus, WI: Head Start Program Sun Prairie and the Sun Prairie Historical Society.

A thank you to the staff at Prairie Gardens Assisted Living and to Brighton Hospice for their loving care.

We encourage you to share your online condolences with Florence's family at jensenfuneralandcremation.com