Leroy Schwieters

Leroy C. Schwieters, age 67 of Melrose, died after a courageous battle with cancer on Friday, February 27, 2015 at his home in Melrose, Minnesota.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, March 6 at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Melrose with Rev. Marvin Enneking officiating. Interment will be held in the Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery in Little Falls after the lunch. Military Honors will be provided by the Melrose Veterans Honor Guard.

Visitation will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday and from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Friday at the Patton-Schad Funeral Home in Melrose. The Melrose Veterans Honor Guard will pray at 6 p.m. followed by parish prayers at 7 p.m. Thursday evening at the funeral home.

Leroy Cyril Schwieters was born June 11, 1947 in Melrose, Minnesota to Henry and Rose (Otte) Schwieters. He graduated from Melrose High School in 1965 and enlisted in the U.S. Army on October 18, 1966. Leroy was honorably discharged on October 10, 1968, but was still enlisted in the reserves until October 17, 1972. He then worked at Kraft Foods for 25 years and then at Jennie-O for ten years until his retirement. He was a member of St. Mary's Catholic Church in Melrose and the American Legion Unit 101. Leroy was a Minnesota sports fan who liked watching the Twins and Vikings and also like watching local softball games. He also enjoyed going to the casino, fishing, and loved spending time with his family.

Survivors include his nieces and nephews, Thomas (Darcy) Schmitz of Albany, Jane (Jeff) Ehrlichman of St. Joseph, Kathy (Mike) Powell of Lake Crystal, William (Christy) Schmitz of Garfield, Timothy Schmitz of St. Cloud, Gary (Becky) Schmitz of Avon, and Sarah (Bryon) Alstead of Alexandria; and many loving relatives and friends.

Leroy was preceded in death by his parents, Henry and Rose Schwieters; sister, Phyllis Schmitz; and brother-in-law, Paul Schmitz.