Obituary for Lynn Schulte

Tue, 22 Sep 2026 09:49:19 -0500

Lynn Ellen Schulte passed away on September 17, 2026 after a seven year battle with ALS. Born the middle daughter of John and Mary McElevey on May 16, 1960, she grew up and attended school in Grand Marais. She sang and traveled with her church choir, The Son’s Rays, creating lasting friendships. After graduating from Cook County High School with the awesome Class of 1978, she sang and toured the state with Minnesota All State Lutheran Choir. In the fall, she attended Concordia College and Moorhead State University in Moorhead, Minnesota. Lynn graduated with a degree in Elementary Education and Learning Disability minor. She returned to Grand Marais after college and married her high school sweetheart, Craig Schulte, on August 14,1982. They both accepted seasonal jobs with the United States Customs and Immigration crossing at Pigeon River. Lynn continued working as an Immigration Inspector for eight years. Together with Craig, they invested in real estate projects, owned Schulte Sanitary Service, Grand Marais Dairy Queen, and built and operated the Grand Marais Super America/Marathon for 27 years until their retirement. They were blessed with two beautiful daughters Emily and Ahna. Lynn was a devoted and loving mother and grandmother (Grammie). Lynn loved growing up on the North Shore where she was able to enjoy year round sports: skiing (downhill and cross country), snowmobiling, swimming, boating, and kayaking. Her happiest family memories involved spending time at their cabins on Devil Track Lake during the summer months and Clearwater Lake in the winter. She also loved berry picking, which was a family tradition passed down from her parents and grandparents. Despite a busy work life, family time was always a priority. The importance of family, hard work and a faith based home were all values Lynns parents instilled in her which she passed down to both of her daughters. Lynn & Craig looked forward to planning and taking their daughters on annual family winter vacations. They created wonderful life-long memories in tropical locations. Even after her ALS diagnosis, she shared this tradition of traveling with her daughters and grandchildren on memory making adventures! Thoughtful gift giving and baking for her family and employees were her love languages. Hosting annual Christmas staff parties brought her great joy. Lynn loved making holidays special. She enjoyed creating costumes for local parades and Halloween! She was a lifelong member of Bethlehem Lutheran Church where she taught Sunday School for many years, and loved singing in the annual holiday Messiah concert. Lynn was preceded in death by her parents, and younger sister Lee Ann (Phil) Bonin. She is survived by Craig, her husband of 44 years and primary caregiver during her illness; daughters Emily Underwood and Ahna (Christian) Viel; sister Janie (Steve) Dahl; five grandchildren, Maren, Bergen, Lowen, Henrik and Ole; eleven nieces and nephews; eight great nephews and three great nieces. Lynn’s Celebration of Life service will be held on Saturday, October 17, 2026 at 11am at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Grand Marais, MN. Memorials are preferred to Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Grand Marais, Minnesota, or Susan Mast ALS Foundation in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This organization provided incredible support to Lynn and her family during the almost two years she lived with her daughter and family in order to receive in-home hospice services. Donations in her honor can also be made to the ALS Association of MN/ND/SD.

RSS Ahna Viel

Obituary for Lynn Schulte