Sheila Ann Horstman

Sheila Ann (Leren) Horstman; beloved wife, mother and grandmother, passed away on July 18 ^th ; at Gundersen Health System, La Crosse after a 27-month battle with Stage 4 Ovarian Cancer.  At the time of her death, she was surrounded by family members who provided her comfort.

Sheila was born on June 7 ^th , 1975, in La Crosse, WI, to William and Lois (Gile) Leren.  She was a 1993 graduate of Luther High School and earned her Medical Assistant degree, in 1995, from Western Wisconsin Technical College.

Sheila spent close to 10 years working as a Rehabilitation Technician at what was then, Gundersen-Lutheran Sports Medicine facility.  Sheila’s friendly personality, beautiful smile, and way of putting people at ease resulted in her making many lasting friendships with both staff and patients.  It was while working with people that were recovering from injuries, that Sheila discovered her passion for massage therapy.  She returned to school at the Windemere Academy and earned her degree, while also raising three children.  As a massage therapist, she worked as a contract employee for both Kaplan University and Nesnah Ventures, LLC.  Sheila loved her job and worked up until both the COVID Pandemic and her cancer diagnosis in 2020.

Sheila is survived by her husband of 25 years, Mike; son Zachary and his wife Julie along with their daughter Lilah, son Jacob (special friend Jade Woods), daughter Elizabeth (special friend Jake Karll), Mother Lois Leren, brother Scott (Jennifer) Leren, mother-in-law Virginia Horstman, sister-in-law Jill (Scott) Thorvilson, sister-in-law Amy (Michael Smith) Horstman, brother-in-law Andrew (Lisa) Horstman, and many nieces and nephews.  Sheila was preceded in death by her father, William Leren, and her father-in-law Roger Horstman.

Funeral Services will be held at Olivet Lutheran Church, 2100 Bainbridge Street, on Friday July 29 ^th at 11:00 AM. Pastor Jeremy Wallach will officiate.  Private family burial will take place in the St. Joseph Mausoleum at the Catholic Cemetery, La Crosse.  Visitation will be held at the church on Thursday evening from 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM and on Friday from 9:00 AM until the time of services.

The family would like to thank all of our relatives, friends and neighbors for their prayers, love and support during Sheila’s diagnosis.  Sheila’s faith in God was strong and that too helped her through the difficult days.  We would also like to thank Dr. Gil Harmon, Gundersen Oncologist, NP Kelly Lay, of Palliative Care, and the many outstanding nurses and MA’s for their compassion and support during her journey with cancer.  In lieu of flowers, Sheila and the family request that memorials be sent, in her name, to:  Aquinas Catholic Schools, Olivet Lutheran Church, or La Crosse Area Boys & Girls Club.