Mass of Christian Burial Scheduled in River Falls
Arlene Schmitz built a life across dairy farms, grocery stores, and bustling Midwest communities that spanned over eight decades. According to Bakken-Young Funeral & Cremation Services, a Mass of Christian Burial is scheduled for Friday, November 6, 2026, at 11:00 AM at St. Bridgit Catholic Church in River Falls, Wisconsin, with visitation beginning at 9:00 AM.
Roots in Little Falls and a Blind Date That Changed Everything
Born on November 26, 1941, in Little Falls, Minnesota, to Alvin and Mary Ann Kahlich, Arlene grew up on a working dairy farm. After graduating from Little Falls High School—where she worked part-time at the Pine Edge Motel—she moved to Minneapolis. There, she lived at a girls club and worked as a secretary in the catering department at the Lemington Hotel.
A blind date altered the course of her life, though not quite as originally planned. Jim Schmitz had set Arlene up with one of his friends. Realizing his mistake after the outing, Jim arranged to take Arlene out himself the next time he visited the cities. Following Jim’s service in the Wisconsin National Guard—which included a stint activated with the 32nd Division at Fort Lewis, Washington—the couple married on October 13 in Little Falls, timing the wedding right at the opening of duck hunting season.
Grocery Stores, Shift Work, and Entrepreneurship in Wisconsin
The newlyweds eventually settled in River Falls, Wisconsin, so Jim could complete his education. They worked together at the local Red and White grocery store, where Arlene served as a checkout girl until her pregnancy with their first daughter, Carolyn, led to her departure. Carolyn was born on October 15, 1963. To support the household and fund Jim’s flying lessons, Arlene worked a mosaic of jobs, including babysitting, working at the River Falls Medical Clinic, and taking night shifts at the River Falls Hospital.
The entrepreneurial path expanded in 1970 when the couple purchased the Tom Thumb store in Hudson, Wisconsin. Arlene managed the bookkeeping and handled Saturday night shifts in the meat market, regularly driving home late in blizzards in an old Mercury stick shift with a rusted-out trunk. In 1973, they acquired a grocery store in Roberts, Wisconsin, operating it together until they sold the Hudson location in 1987.
European Travel, Sacred Pilgrimages, and Surviving Family
Away from the family business, Arlene cultivated a deep interest in travel and her faith, touring countries across Europe including Germany, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. She also undertook major religious pilgrimages, walking the El Camino de Santiago in Spain and visiting holy sites in Fatima, Portugal, and Medjugorje, Bosnia.
Bakken-Young Funeral Services Handles Final Arrangements
Interim arrangements place her final resting place at Kinnikinnick Cemetery following services handled by Bakken-Young Funeral & Cremation Services. She is survived by Jim, her husband of 64 years; their three children, Carolyn Lee, Jim Schmitz, and Mike Schmitz; four grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and her three sisters, Barbra Kahlich DeRosier, Ruth Perryman, and Mary Kellerhals.
