After a 10 year battle with six cancers, yes six cancers, our mom lost her battle with Acute Myeloid Leukemia and was called home on January 12, 2019.
On June 18, 1957 her parents and older sister celebrated her birth as they introduced her to all as Cindy Marie Schmaltz, the daughter of Joe and Loretta Schmaltz. She was the 2nd oldest of eight, and was the daughter of an apron wearing mama and a joke telling dad.
We are not exactly sure what happened in the first part of her life, because we weren’t quite there yet. We do know she graduated from Bottineau High School in 1975 where she played basketball, participated in track, was a cheerleader and majorette, Homecoming Queen and received exceptional ratings at music contests with her beautiful singing voice. Did we mention she was also Miss Bottineau?
After college she moved to Rugby and met the man of her dreams. Dale Volk was tall, dark and handsome, but his hair was too long for our mother’s liking. He agreed to let her cut it on their 2nd date, and it was true love from that point on. They were joined in marriage April 22, 1978 at Little Flower Church in Rugby.
Luckily they began their family right away because they were blessed with three amazing children. Did we say amazing? Christopher was mom’s favorite. She denied this to the end, but he must have been since he was never given the homemade perms that Keighly got or the mushroom cut that poor Kendra always had. Well, he did get the mushroom cut too, but he was a boy so it was fine for a boy. Luckily, with all the love and encouragement we were given growing up we were able to rise above this shame and become amazing adults!
Just when mom thought she was too old to fall in love again, she became a grandmother. Not to only one but to nine beautiful grandchildren. They stole her heart and most of her money as she spoiled them rotten. It’s a good thing dad stepped in and slowed her down, because she was blowing through every bit of our inheritance. Andrew, Alyssa, Taylor, Rylan, Cali, Joey, Dylan, Thaddeus and Clarke are the luckiest grandchildren to have such an amazing grandmother and now their very own saint in Heaven watching over them. She will probably be giving them pointers on their basketball games or cheering loudly at swim meets and hockey games. We won’t forget about the wonderful granny’s cheer bag she would bring. Each of the grandchildren had 2 or 3 signs with their pictures on it and fully decorated with their school name and mascot. We pray she sits along side each grandchild on EVERY date they ever go on, and says the same words we heard: “Leave Room for Jesus.” Her grandchildren are her treasurers and she will go with them on every journey because “grandma” was her favorite title.
Speaking of titles…she has had a few in her days. Cindy was a devoted daughter, an involved teenager, a Minot State graduate (summa cum laude), a loving wife, a comforting mother, a dedicated teacher, a true and loyal friend, and a spoiling grandma. She could do anything she put her mind to. We hope she taught dad some of her tricks because anytime a grandchild had a project to do; they were shipped off to grandmas for a few days…or was that just to give us a break?
Today our wonderfully amazing, loving and talented mother is without pain. She is happy while singing and dancing with the angels and saints, (probably in her pjs). Of course, we can’t forget she was looking forward to rocking two precious babies, Skylar and Morgan, and catching up on a few games of canasta with great grandma Jenny whom she missed and held dear to her heart.
If you ever want to look for our mother, you can look for her in the morning sunrise or with each spring flower that blooms. She loved working in her garden, feeding the birds and watching as new life would spring up. We know she will be with us in one memory or another. Of course, this will probably comfort some while antagonizing others, but you know our mom! We will leave you with this…please don’t cry because she is gone; instead be happy that she was here. Smile at the memories you have and the laughter and light she would bring to a room. Most of all she would want everyone to Love the Lord with all their heart and trust that He brings good from all things. Like the title to the song mom wrote, “We Will Never Forget You.”
Ready to greet her in heaven are her grandparents, Joe and Caroline Schmaltz and Lawrence and Jenny Ellsworth, her mother-in-law Mavis Volk, sister-in-law Ardyce Volk, her niece, Morgan Stratton and nephew Jared Volk.
Still praying we will get to meet her in heaven are her kind, caring and loving husband Dale of Minot, ND; children, Christopher (Sadie) Volk of Minot, ND, grandchildren Thaddeus and Clarke; Keighly Johnson of Center, ND grandchildren Andrew, Alyssa, Cali and Dylan and Kendra (Chad) Miller of Dickinson, ND, grandchildren Taylor, Rylan and Joey. Her loving and doting parents Joseph and Loretta Schmaltz of Minot, ND; her father-in-law Casper Volk of Rugby; her sisters Connie (Brian) Zahn of Denver, CO; Coleen (Todd) Stutrud of Barton, ND; Carla (Rob) Eisenzimmer of Bottineau, ND; Donna (Keith) Stratton of Westhope, ND and JoAnn (Andy) Early of Bismarck, ND, her brothers Larry (Barb) Schmaltz of Denver, CO; Terry Schmaltz of Sydney, Australia; her sisters-in-law Theone (Wayne) Stevenson, Linda (Doug) Schneider and Marilyn (Mark) Yoder all of Rugby, ND; her brothers-in-law David Volk, Ron Volk and Eugene (Kristi) Volk all of Rugby, ND and Bruce Volk of Maple Grove, MN; 23 nieces and nephews and 26 great nieces and nephews.
A prayer service will be held on January 16, 2019 at 7:00 PM at Our Lady of Grace, Minot, ND.
Her “Celebration of Life Mass” will be at Our Lady of Grace, Minot, ND on January 17, 2019 at 10:30 AM with Father Heidt presiding.
Memorials preferred to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society - MN, ND, SD.
