Longtime village board member dies September 14

By LeAnn R. Ralph

COLFAX — Beverly Schauer, who served on the Colfax Village Board for 20 years, passed away Thursday, September 14.

Schauer died at the age of 83. She went off the village board in 2015.

A 1951 graduate of Colfax High School, Schauer took accounting and treasurer’s classes at Chippewa Valley Technical College and took classes at St. Thomas College in Minnesota as well. Prior to serving on the Colfax Village Board, she served as treasurer in the Town of Red Cedar for 19 years while she and her husband were farming.

Bev — as she was known to friends, family, fellow village board members and the community at large — also served as president of the women’s group at St. Katherine’s Church and was the church organist.

During the time she and her husband, Arvin, farmed, she was treasurer for several farming organizations as well.

While on the village board, Schauer served on a variety of committees. In later years, she was perhaps best known for being on the public works committee and serving as chair.

In her last candidate questionnaire in 2015, when asked why she was interested in running again for the village board, Schauer wrote: “I have the village taxpayers as my reason to continue to stay on the board. I have always done what I believe was in their best interest and is how I voted on issues.”

Current Village President Gary Stene worked with Schauer for a number of years while she was on the village board.

“She was a good board member. She was very committed to helping the community,” Stene said.

“She always looked out for the welfare of everyone. She was a nice lady to work with,” he said.

Stene remembered, too, that Schauer made “the greatest roast beef dinner.”

“Bev invited us to her house at Christmas time one year, and it was a wonderful dinner,” he said.

“Bev always was up on matters of importance to the village, and she was not afraid to state her opinion. She was a good board member and a hard worker,” Stene said.

“I enjoyed working with her. We didn’t always agree, but we could agree to disagree,” he said.

Lynn Niggemann, the Village of Colfax administrator-clerk-treasurer, also had an opportunity to work with Schauer.

“Bev was a spunky woman who always had a smile on her face. She was honest and not afraid to kindly express her opinions. She welcomed all the village employees into her home at Christmas time to share a home cooked meal and to offer her thanks. She was always cooking meals and baking goodies which she shared with many, including the hard working crews that worked on the street where she lived,” Niggemann said.

Former village president Jean Olson also served on the village board with Schauer.

“Bev was a dedicated public servant who for almost 20 years, worked tirelessly to serve the residents of Colfax. It is due to her follow-through and persistence, together with Anderson Bridges’ generosity, that the village enjoys a safe, modern footbridge over 18-Mile Creek at the Fairgrounds. This was one of the many projects that benefited from Bev’s concern and tenacity,” Jean Olson wrote in a message to the Colfax Messenger.

“She was among the board trustees who could be depended on to volunteer for the duties that had to be performed, she maintained good relations with the village employees, and I will never forget the four dozen dozen — yes, that’s dozen dozen — Christmas cookies she baked for the village holiday open house the years that we held that event. The village owes Bev a debt of gratitude for many, many reasons,” Jean Olson said.

Former Colfax resident Jackie Ponto served as administrator-clerk-treasurer while Schauer was on the village board.

“I was sad to hear about the passing of Bev.  She was a dedicated and caring lady who will be missed by many.  Every year around Christmas time, Bev invited and cooked a full meal to show her appreciation of the village employees.  Bev always volunteered to help at community events and seldom missed a meeting, if ever.  She spent many years proudly serving the community,” Ponto wrote in a message to the Colfax Messenger.

Former village trustee Chris Olson served on the village board with Schauer, too.

“Bev was a person that gave back to the community. She did her research on issues that were in front of the village board, and she did her duties and talked to other residents and got their opinion on the issues and brought [the information] back to the board and voted accordingly,” Chris Olson said.

“She brought humor, wit and dedication to the village. She was a person that would share her favorite baked goods with all. She was an inspirational person to know,” he said.

An obituary for Beverly Schauer is published in this issue of the Colfax Messenger.