Charlotte Magdalena Katarina Lobitz

“Nur die harten kommen in den garten” (Only the strongest survive in the garden). Charlotte “Buddy” Lobitz died peacefully without illness on Earth Day, Wednesday, April 22, 2020. The significance of this date is not lost on those who knew and loved Charlotte because they understand her lifelong connection to the soil and living things that grow from it. Her life was a garden. Charlotte Magdalene Katarina Kämereit was born on April 12, 1924, to Louise (Meyer) Kämereit in Memel, East Prussia, the same day they buried her father, Gustav Kämereit. As a young girl, Charlotte moved, along with her mother and older brother, to the village of Wilkieten, where they had a small farm, grew apples, and went to school. It was in 1943 on a rare errand into Memel by herself that Charlotte stopped in a café to treat herself to a cup of coffee and slice of buttercream torte. With World War II well underway, many cafés did not have silverware for their patrons, but as she gazed nervously at her cake unsure what to do, she was approached by a handsome soldier who reached into his pocket and gave her his spoon. Their romance blossomed, and on March 4, 1944, Charlotte and Heinz Lobitz were married. With Heinz away at war and the Russians invading their villages in East Prussia, Charlotte escaped by cart, stopping to give birth to a premature baby boy and continuing with him on foot to communities of displaced persons in Ohlendorf and Beerentalstrift. In each place she planted a garden and gave birth to a daughter. In 1955, Charlotte and her family immigrated to the United States and settled in Northfield, Minn., eventually buying a house and hand-building terraces into the large hill out back. Here she raised their three children and an amazing garden which is remembered for its endless stone and flocks borders, fruit trees, berry bushes, and almost every vegetable imaginable. She worked at the Carleton College Library until her retirement in 1985. They moved to Blue Mounds, Wis. in 1986, where Charlotte raised another garden along with a menagerie of animals such as chickens, geese, goats, and donkeys; a little utopia nestled in the wooded mounds of southwest Wisconsin that their children and grandchildren would return to as often as life allowed. Perhaps the only thing better than seeing her gardens was enjoying the food she prepared from them. An incredible cook, she could prepare an entire menu of German cuisine from scratch and convince even the fullest of company they needed another helping. While not all of her grandchildren developed a taste for rot kohl and sauerkraut, they would all line up for another bowl of grießbrei or split pea soup. Charlotte enjoyed being active and was known for her competitive streak. She loved baseball, ran road races well into her 60s, took daily hikes through the hills behind her house, swam laps every morning either across Lake John in Annandale, Minn. or in her pool at the farm, and was always up for a round of golf, having at least once scored that elusive hole-in-one. But most will remember that to Charlotte, there was no love lost playing cards. She had a group of “bridge ladies” in every home and was a notorious shark with family playing dice, garbage, cribbage, hand and foot, or whatever other card game she could rope them into playing. And while hearing her yell “You’ve got to be kidding!” either after being beaten, or simply dealt a bad hand was a common occurrence, she also was not above playing the “poor old grandma” card if she thought it could give her an advantage. Charlotte was quick to call out her kids and grandkids on their “shtunkmachen,” but that mischievous streak is part of her adventurous legacy. She was known to aid and abet in family hijinks involving bowling balls, purple chicken hats, pool-side pranks, skydiving to celebrate birthdays 75 and 80, and cross-country road trips for new births and spontaneous weddings. As playful as Charlotte was, she took her faith very seriously. She was an active member of Barneveld Lutheran Church, and through her ministry there, has made a genuine impact on members of her church family, the Barneveld community, and beyond. Perhaps more importantly, as a dedicated Christian, she began each day with Bible study, prayer, and journaling. She was humble, recognized herself as a flawed human being, acknowledged her mistakes and genuinely tried each day to be a better version of herself to live her best life. Charlotte did not define family by shared genetics or legal documents. Leading by example, she taught us that family should be good soil, nurturing each other through mutual love and support, loyalty, and a willingness to honor its members. Family should not get lost in the weeds, but rather commit to working through periods of struggle and conflict so that the beauty of all members can emerge. Her legacy is a garden of family members who may notice similarities, but prefer to appreciate and embrace our differences. And that with every new season comes the potential for new members. There is always room in the garden. After 59 years of marriage, she lost Heinz in 2003 and remained on the farm until a hip fracture in 2017, when she became a resident of Ingleside Nursing Home in Mount Horeb, where she lived and was lovingly cared for until the end. Charlotte was preceded in death by her parents; her brother, Helmut Kämereit; a great-granddaughter, Allison; and a grandson, Matthew. She is survived by her son, Rainer (Rennae) and their children, James (Julia) Margaret (James), Chad (Alison) and Brian (Amber); her daughter, Barbara (Ken) and their daughter, Teak (Kelly); and her daughter, Sabine (David) and their children, Peter (Tammy), Katherine, Sarah (Joseph), Michael, Jenny (Carl), Sumi (Scott), Yumi (Matt) and Ezekiel (Sarah). She is also survived by 21 great-grandchildren; six great-great-grandchildren; the German contingent of cousins, Helene, Anneliese, Helmut, Amélie (Matthias) and sons, Heather Hodgetts, and the “other brother,” Bob (Mary) Roenneburg of Blue Mounds. The family wishes to thank the staff of Ingleside for their compassionate and excellent care; Pastor Jim Hearne and the Barneveld Lutheran Church care team and family; church families when she was a loving member of St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church, Portage, Wis., and St. Peter’s Episcopal church, North Lake, Wis.; the Schaaf family, Bonnie and Jeff; her card ladies, Patricia, Laurie and Pat; her massage therapist; Jennifer, Kim and Rachel; and all of her friends who supported and loved her throughout the years, especially during this time of grieving at a social distance. A celebration of Charlotte’s life will be held at a later date when family and friends can once again safely gather together. In lieu of flowers, the family requests either Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) or monetary memorial donations be made to Ingleside Nursing Home in Mount Horeb, so they can continue to protect their residents and maintain the COVID-free environment they have worked so tirelessly for. Online condolences may be made at www.gundersonfh.com. Gunderson Camacho Mount Horeb Funeral & Cremation Care 500 N. Eighth St. (608) 437-5077