Lori E. Bartz

Lori Ellen Bartz of Austin, Minnesota, passed away on Thursday, September 7, 2023, after a brief struggle with Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD).

Lori was born on March 14, 1954 in Owatonna, Minnesota, the third of four children to Helmer and Lorraine Bartz. She graduated with honors from Austin High School in 1972 and attended Austin Community College. Lori met and married Dave Peterson, in 1975 and lived in Austin before moving to LaCrosse, Wisconsin, and then Bollingbrook, Illinois. They had two children, Melissa and Emily. Melissa was born with a very rare form of cancer and had a life full of treatments until her passing at age three and half. Growing up on a farm south of Austin, Lori adored her animals, especially cats and horses. She was a member of the Enterprise 4H Club and loved singing in many talent shows. She was a member of The Northwestern Singers until moving away from Austin. Lori spent several years working for the Mayo Clinic in LaCrosse as a lab technician and phlebotomist. She was known to be a cheery face around the clinic and was fond of that line of work. After moving back to Austin to be closer to family, she enjoyed traveling around southern Minnesota as a product merchandiser until her illness. In her free time, she liked riding her bicycle all over town, going to the library for books, singing in Our Savior’s Lutheran Church choir, playing the piano, and a good game of cribbage. She also was an avid believer in the recycling program and would remind everyone to recycle as much as possible!

Lori was preceded in death by her daughter, Melissa Peterson; parents, Helmer and Lorraine Bartz; two brothers, Paul Bartz and Ralph Bartz; and her former husband, David Peterson.

She is survived by her daughter, Emily Courtney of Galesville, Wisconsin; two grandchildren, Neveah and Daymen Schaub; her brother, Jerry Bartz of Reno, Nevada; two sisters-in-law, Mary Bartz of Tyler, Minnesota and Karen Sundal Bartz of Albert Lea, Minnesota; friend and former sister-in-law, Yvette Dulohery of Byron, Minnesota; and many nieces and nephews.

The family would like to thank the staff of Mayo Hospice, Independent Management Services, and The Cedars of Austin for their compassionate care of Lori. In lieu of cards or flowers, donations can be made to AFTD, The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration (www.theaftd.org) or the ALS Association (www.als.org).

There will be a visitation from 2-4 pm on Saturday, November 11th at Clasen-Jordan Mortuary with a time of remembrance at 3:00 pm.