Rose Ann Schnuettgen

Rose Ann Schnuettgen, daughter of Henry and Frances (Gubbels) Heller, was born on December 22, 1931, in Portsmouth, Iowa. She was baptized and confirmed at St. Mary’s Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church in Portsmouth and attended St. Mary’s Catholic Schools graduating in 1949. While in high school, Rose Ann worked at the grocery store in Portsmouth.
Rose Ann then moved to Omaha, Nebraska where she worked at Boys Town. On July 15, 1952, Rose Ann was united in marriage to August “Gus” Schnuettgen at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Portsmouth. To this union four children were born: Debbie, Mary Ann, Steve and Chuck. Rose Ann was very active with St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Defiance where she served on the Altar Society. She helped on the farm and spent her time raising her children and tending to her garden. She loved to bake and was an avid Nebraska Cornhusker fan.
In 1983, Rose Ann made her home in Harlan, Iowa until 2010 when she moved to the Avoca Specialty Care nursing home in Avoca, Iowa. This is where she died on September 14, 2016 having attained the age of eighty-four years, eight months and twenty-three days. In addition to her parents, Rose Ann was preceded in death by her sisters: Elaine Buckley and Darlene Kenkel.
She is survived by her children: Debbie (Ron) Lewis of Council Bluffs, Iowa; Mary Ann (Gene) Arkfeld of Colorado Springs, Colorado; Steve (Dede) Schnuettgen of Defiance; Chuck (Tracey) Schnuettgen of Mesa, Arizona; her grandchildren: Christine Lewis Todalen, Katie Lewis, Lindsey Arkfeld Hayward, Briana Schnuettgen and Sara Schnuettgen; her siblings: Alvin Heller of Portsmouth; Mary (Robert) Finken of Earling, Iowa; Richard Heller of Portsmouth; Bonnie (Gene) Theilen of Denver, Colorado; Phillip (Doramae) Heller of Portsmouth and Veral (Mary) Heller of Arizona; nieces and nephews; other relatives and many friends.