“Lord, I am no longer my own, but Yours.” John Wesley

Elaine Mary Zeitlmann Altenburg Schmidt was born on May 14, 1936 in Berkeley, California to Lawrence Van Zeitlmann and Mary Katherine Emerson. She passed on October 20, 2023 at her home in Sparks.

She moved with her mother to northern Nevada in the early 1940s, living mostly in Reno and Lovelock. Upon her mother’s death she was raised by her elementary school teacher, May Battcher, as her legal guardian. The entire Battcher family loved and embraced her as their own.

After graduating from Pershing County High School, Elaine attended the University of Nevada, Reno on the Harold’s Club Scholarship and joined the Pi Beta Phi sorority, serving as chapter president. During her first year of teaching at Central Jr. High, she met and married Giles Altenburg and they had three children: Melanie, Mary Kay and Rick.

Elaine married John Schmidt in 1976 and relocated to Oroville, California. For most of her life, she was an active member of the United Methodist Church, serving on boards and committees and worked for many years as a church secretary in northern California. She and John eventually returned to Sparks and enjoyed taking the grandchildren to Sunday school, worship services and special events.

Elaine played in the hand bell choir for the Sparks and Grass Valley churches, traveling to hand bell conventions across the U.S. She cherished her numerous, lifelong friends from Lovelock, Sparks, Oroville and Grass Valley.

Elaine was widely loved for her infectious laugh, keen sense of humor and a wee bit of sarcastic wit. She will be deeply missed by her children, stepchildren, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great granddaughter. We will celebrate her life on Saturday, November 18 at 11 o’clock at the Sparks United Methodist Church; 1231 Pyramid Way.