Curtis Reynold Schwickerath age 59 of North Washington passed away suddenly, due to a heart attack, on December 24, 2024.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, December 31, 2024, at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, North Washington, with Rev. James Goerend celebrating the Mass. Interment will be in St. Mary’s Cemetery, North Washington, with Dean Rosonke, John Kuehn, Roger Dietrich, Paul Hoschlag, Jeff Holbert, and Tim Kuehn serving as pallbearers.
Honorary pallbearers will be Adam Schwickerath, Nathan Schwickerath, and Amanda Trask.
Friends may greet the family from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Monday, December 30, 2024, at Hugeback-Johnson Funeral Home & Crematory in New Hampton. Visitation continues an hour prior to the Mass on Tuesday at the church.
Curtis was born on January 26, 1965, to Reynold and Corinne (Gebel) Schwickerath. He grew up on a farm near North Washington, Iowa. He was an active member of the 4-H Washington Cadets and later served as the president of the New Hampton FFA Chapter. He graduated from New Hampton High School in 1983.
Curtis met the love of his life, Lynette Brus, on the bus during 7th grade. Their connection blossomed over the years, and they shared their first date at Prom in 1983. The couple married on September 3, 1988, at St. Bernard’s Catholic Church in Alta Vista, Iowa, and together, they had two children, Emily and Max. The family made their home near Alta Vista for a few years before returning to Curtis’ family farm outside of North Washington, where Curtis continued his legacy of farming. Curtis was determined to complete the necessary paperwork for the family farm to be certified as a Century Farm and later a Heritage Farm. It was a project he proudly completed in honor of his parents.
Throughout his life, Curtis held various jobs, including positions at Supersweet Feeds, Warren’s Grain Dryers, Hillandale Farms, and as a feed salesman for Five Star Cooperative. During this time he also helped his father farm. Eventually, he decided to pursue farming full-time. Curtis worked hard to maintain the family farm, raising cattle, growing and selling hay, and even spent many years as an organic farmer. In addition to farming, Curtis also worked hard plowing snow for local businesses and neighbors. He continued to take on sandblasting projects and was determined to fix things himself, if possible.
Outside of his work, Curtis was passionate about the outdoors. He enjoyed horseback riding, snowmobiling, and deer hunting. He enjoyed playing cards, especially euchre, where his laughter and cheerful spirit were always welcomed by his friends and family. Curtis had a reputation for being in a good mood and always wanting to make others happy, whether through his jokes, stories, or sharing chocolate candy. He enjoyed going to his kids’ sporting events through high school and rarely missed a meet or game.
Curtis also treasured spending time with his family. He and Lynette took their children on memorable trips to the Florida Keys, Yellowstone National Park, Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, St. Louis to see the Gateway Arch, Lambeau Field, and a fishing trip to Lake Michigan. These trips, filled with love and laughter, were just a few of the many ways Curtis showed his deep love for his family.
Curtis is survived by his wife of 36 years, Lynette, of North Washington; one daughter, Emily (Zach) Wemark of Ames; one son, Max Schwickerath of North Washington; siblings Pam, Sandra, Neal, and Ann; his late brother Dan’s family, Pat, Adam, Nathan, Amanda; mother-in-law Mildred Brus. He is also survived by his wife’s siblings Diane, David, Randy, Norman, Nancy, Jane, and Brenda.
He was preceded in death by his parents; one brother, Daniel Schwickerath in 1988; and father-in-law, Quentin Brus.
hugebackfuneralhome.com