Phyllis L. Schat, 80, of Lake Mills died Sunday, May 14, 2017, at Lake Mills Care Center.

A memorial service will be at 1:30 p.m. today at Salem Lutheran Church in Lake Mills. The Rev. Melinda McCluskey will officiate. Inurnment will take place in Sunnyside Cemetery in Lake Mills. Visitation will be an hour prior to the service at Salem Lutheran Church. Mittelstadt Funeral Home in Lake Mills is assisting the family with arrangements.

Phyllis LaVonne Schat was born on Aug. 22, 1936, in Orange City, Iowa. She was raised in Maurice, Iowa, by her parents Reynold and Clara Schat.

She was a graduate of Maurice High School and from the University of Northern Iowa. After graduation she taught physical education for five years in the Lake Mills Community School. Furthering her education, she became a student at the University of Colorado in Boulder, Colorado, where she earned her Masters of Arts Degree in counseling. Phyllis enjoyed her 30 years in counseling at Austin High School and Ellis Middle School in Austin.

Her love of nature and the outdoors led her to camp counseling during her college years. Later in life, she lived at Rice Lake, where she enjoyed her beloved birds and all of nature.

After retiring in 1998 Phyllis moved to Lake Mills, where she was a member of Salem Lutheran Church. Through her many years in the Lake Mills area she sang in the church choir, was a member of the community chorus, Ginny Ginny and Company and was a member of the Fine Arts Guild. Phyllis was also a Hospice of North Iowa volunteer.

She is survived by brother, Ralph Schat, and his wife, Joyce; many nieces and nephews; her good friend, Virginia Thomas; and all of the amazing nurses and aides at the Lake Mills Care Center.

Phyllis was preceded in death by her parents and brother, Clarence Schat.

Online condolences can be left at www.mittelstadtfuneralhome.com.