Michelle Schwarz

Michelle Schwarz, 58, Bismarck, passed away in her husbands arms, surrounded by her children on October 15, 2022.

A funeral service will be held 10:30 AM, Thursday, October 20, 2022, at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 106 Osage Ave, Bismarck.

Visitation will be held 5-7:00 PM, October 19, at Eastgate Funeral Service, 2302 East Divide Ave, Bismarck.

Burial will be held at Fairview cemetery, Bismarck.

Michelle was born on November 3, 1963, in Tomah, WI, the daughter of Gary and Opal (Burton) Kunz. At the age of four Michelle and her family moved to South St. Paul, MN, where she graduated from South St. Paul High School in 1982. She was proud of being part of her school dance team, the Packerettes. She went on to attend Concordia College in Moorhead, where she earned a degree in Business Administration in 1986.

Michelle met Todd Schwarz in 1984. For Todd it was love at first sight, however it took him a  couple of weeks to convince Michelle. On May 21, 1989, they were married in South St. Paul, following Todd’s graduation from law school in south St. Paul. She forgave Todd of his mistake in making her wait.

They lived in Bismarck for a brief time before making their home in Devils Lake, ND. In 2000 they returned to Bismarck where Michelle started working for Bismarck Public Schools as a payroll clerk. She worked with the school system until her final illness prevented her from continuing.

She enjoyed knitting, quilting, volunteering at Buckstop Junction, Sunday school teaching, and Hallmark movies. Her primary focus was on her loved ones, especially Mindy and Jake.

Michelle is survived by her husband, Todd, Bismarck; children, Mindy, St. Paul, MN, and Jake, Bismarck; parents, Gary and Opal Kunz, Fall Creek, WI; siblings, Mark (Sue) Kunz, WI, Brian Kunz, CA, and Merrith (Dean) Baughman, MI; brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Timothy (Julie) Schwarz, Hazen, ND; and nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, memorials in Michelle’s memory can be made to the Edith Sanford Breast Center, 300 N 7th St, Bismarck.

The family would like to extend a special thank you to the nurses, doctors, and staff at Sanford Medical Center who provided compassion with care that was beyond any reasonable expectation.