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After 80 years, Schmitt twins are still touching the hearts of many
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By Craig Moorhead
For the Caledonia Argus
As I spoke with Father Gregory Leif on the phone, something in his voice made me think he must be smiling. I had asked him if he would like to tell me a little about Mildred and Lorraine Schmitt, twin sisters who have lived in the Caledonia area all their lives.
“I’ll tell you a story. There are a huge number of people in this town (Caledonia) that they took care of and baby-sat when they were young. They would come to people’s homes and watch the children.”
Mildred and Lorraine are celebrating their 80th birthday this month.
Father Leif continued, “They took care of one woman who offered to make the cake for their birthday celebration. She wanted to put pink roses on the cake because that was what the sisters had put on her cake when she was four years old. That woman is now a grandmother.”
“That must have been some cake,” this reporter said, “to remember after all those years.”
“They’re wonderful cooks,” Father Leif said, “They’ve fed a ton of people over the years. They’re known for their doughnuts.” Mildred and Lorraine worked in the catering business for many years, providing food for weddings and other functions.
Lorraine told of their childhood. “We lived on a farm west of town. We saw the depression that came on in ’32 but we always seemed to have enough to eat. That was the Schmitt homestead. Seven miles west from Caledonia.”
What was it like growing up as twins? “We were always very close,” said Lorraine. Mildred chimed in with a grin, “Ma always said she never had to correct us because if we fought, (we’d be fighting there between ourselves) and she would try to part us. Boy! We were right together and she didn’t dare to touch us then. So she let us fight it out and we got to be big anyway.”
The sisters said that they are involved in “the funeral circle” at St. Mary’s Catholic Church.
“We prepare food for funeral services,” Lorraine said. Father Leif reported they are “longtime leaders” in the Catholic Council of Women. “The church is very central in their lives. They help out at every Friday Mass. They take communion to home-bound people quite often. If there is a Bible study or prayer service that they have an opportunity to attend they’re right there, front and center.”
Mildred and Lorraine are also involved with other community organizations, raising funds for the Caledonia Community Center and Senior Center. They make the rounds of nursing homes all over Houston County, keeping a schedule that would likely wear out a person half their age.
Besides Caledonia, they make weekly visits to nursing facilities in Spring Grove, Houston, and La Crescent.
“We sing and have a program,” Lorraine said. “It gets them out of their rooms and it’s something to do. They really wait for it.” When asked about the program Mildred replied, “We put on skits and little plays, just some entertainment, you meet a lot of people.”
One group the sisters enjoy is the Caledonia Senior Citizens. This group of around 40 members meets every Wednesday afternoon at the Four Seasons Community Center in Caledonia. The sisters seldom miss the weekly card game at the Senior Citizens get-togethers.
It all adds up to a couple of ladies who have touched the lives of a lot of people in their community, and still do. We all age, but some of us never get old. Mildred and Lorraine are living proof.
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