Sadie Reed Biltz, age 92, of Perham, MN, died Saturday, July 10, 2010, at the Perham Memorial Nursing Home.
Sadie was born
April 11, 1918
, in
Gower
,
MO
, to Adah Anna (Riggs) and Ely Wilhite Thomason. Her mother died when she was six years old. The family moved to
Edgerton
,
MO
, where she excelled academically and graduated early from high school in 1935. She received her nursing school diploma in 1939 from
Cushing
Memorial
Hospital
in
Leavenworth
,
KS
.
During the WWII years, she worked in hospitals in
Kansas City
,
MO
,
Alexandria
VA
, and Waynesburg PA. She met Joseph Melvin Biltz while caring for his mother at
Cushing
Hospital
.
They were married
December 31, 1945
, in
Kansas City
,
KS
. They started building his dream -Sunset Beach Resort,
Perham
,
MN
- in 1946, while maintaining winter jobs in
Kansas
.
Sunset
Beach
became Sadie’s year round home in 1955. In addition to her resort duties, Sadie worked as a registered nurse in the Perham Hospital and the New York Mills Elders Home from 1955-1978. She was the director of nursing at the Elders Home for 14 years. After Joe’s death in 1979, she focused on the resort and became the on-site manager with it’s incorporation in 1983. She also became the local lakeshore source for candy, conversation and philosophy of life. She was widely read, insightful and wise. She enjoyed tracking seasonal changes at the lake, watching birds, answering Jeopardy questions and solving crossword puzzles. She enjoyed traveling with Joe to the
Rocky Mountains
, the Four Corners Area, and
Hawaii
. After his death, Sadie traveled by train and bus with family and friends to some part of all 50 states,
Canada
and
Mexico
. She maintained friendships with resort customers, explored family genealogy, welcomed the friends of George and Sherry to the lake, and deeply loved her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Her world view, wit and practicality will be fondly remembered and greatly missed.
Sadie is survived by her son, George and his wife Sherry (Hauer) Biltz, 3 grandchildren, their spouses and 10 great-grandchildren: Jason and Sara Biltz, JT, Emma, Joe, and Jim; Kjersti and Jon Nelson, Tagen and Kaija; Greg and Angie Biltz, Samantha, Jackson, Tommy and Melissa; a sister, Christine West; special niece, Nancy Arntz; and the Hauer family. Also acknowledged are Sadie’s “extended family” of nieces, nephews, relatives, special friends, co-workers, dock boys, resort cleaning helpers, the caring staff of the NYM Elders Home and Perham Memorial Nursing Home and all of you, who along the way, met and were influenced by Sadie.
Preceding Sadie in death are her husband, Joe; infant son, Joseph Nelson Biltz; and two brothers, Lilburn “Toby” and John Buford “Gully” Thomason.
If you have special Sadie stories, please email them to gbiltz@aol.com
