Barbara Theresa Schlautmann

Mass of Christian burial for Barbara Schlautmann will be held 10:00 a.m., Wednesday, November 9, 2016 at St. Matthew's Catholic Church in Gillette, WY. Visitation and gathering of family and friends will take place 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., Tuesday, November 8, 2016 at Gillette Memorial Chapel, with Vigil to follow at 6:00 p.m. Barbara Therese Schlautmann was born on the family ranch April 12, 1927 to Wendell J. and Therese (Lauby) Schlautmann, 45 miles southwest of Gillette, Wyoming in the Savageton area. She was raised and lived on the ranch with her parents, two brothers, and three sisters where they worked hard, played hard, and loved the Lord through it all. They, as a family, lived away from the ranch for a total of 4 years as times were tough and it was hard to make a living out there on the prairie, but then they came back to the ranch in Wyoming which was always home. Barbara attended the Savageton School from 1st through 8th grade, then she entered 9th grade at St. Martin's Catholic Academy in Sturgis, South Dakota until she graduated high school in 1946. Soon thereafter, she entered St. Martin's Convent and made her final vows in 1951. She then taught children, of all ages, for the next 23 years, in various grades, at a variety of Catholic schools throughout Wyoming, South Dakota, and Montana. The entire time she was teaching, she was taking college courses from various universities as well. To complete her bachelor's degree, she had to spend a year in Washington, D.C., which was quite traumatic for a young woman from Wyoming. Sr. Barbara was well-accomplished and an avid student to the end; she finished her final Doctoral Degree in Religious Studies in 1995 where she graduated "summa cum laude." Sr. Barbara returned to the ranch in 1974, where she was needed to help with her mother who had had a stroke. Her mother passed away in 1975 and her father was elderly, so she took a leave of absence from the convent and stayed on at the ranch to take care of him until his death in 1993. After his passing, she continued on at the ranch for the next phase in her life. Besides caring for her father, Barbara had many jobs around the ranch. She took up wood working as a hobby in the early '80s and completed her last job refinishing of furniture for anyone that asked her to, just three days prior to moving into Pioneer Manor; so close to 25 years. She was very detail-oriented and it showed in everything she did -- from her handwriting and grammar, to her furniture refinishing, her painting, her pristine "hen house", the abundant garden, her meticulous yard everything Sr. Barbara did she did well, and everything she did, she did in the name of her Risen Savior, Jesus Christ. Barbara started helping neighbors with a few chores around the house that led to her weekly meetings in their homes, where she ended up ministering to them in her love of Jesus Christ and her church. In 1990, with Father Tom Ogg's insistence she soon began her last career in life ministering to those at Pioneer Manor, the Bee Hive and finally Primrose. There was never a Sunday through the warm months of the year that she wasn't seen at one of those places praying with her beloved people. So it was truly fitting when she moved into Pioneer Manor May 7, 2015. Barbara did not know a stranger and always thought that no matter what, there was always hope through prayer. She was an avid prayer warrior that stormed the heavens with her prayers till the end. We all loved her and will miss her terribly. Barbara is survived by her sisters Lucy McMahon of Gillette, Clara Smetana of Wisconsin; her sister-in-law Mary Schlautmann of Gillette, and her brother Louis Schlautmann of North Dakota; numerous nieces, nephews and great-nieces and nephews, plus all of her beloved friends and neighbors. She was preceded in death by her parents; brother, Albert Schlautmann; sister, Rita Lubken; sister-in-law Elaine Schlautmann, and brother's-in-law, Tom McMahon, Willie Lubken and Paul Smetana. The family requests that memorials be made in Barbara's name to John Paul II School. Memorials and condolences may also be sent in care of Gillette Memorial Chapel 210 West 5th Street, Gillette, WY 82716. Condolences may also be expressed at www.gillettememorialchapel.com Funeral Home:Gillette Memorial Chapel210 West Fifth Street Gillette, WYUS 82716