PLACERVILLE, Calif. — El Dorado County has lost a longtime Republican Party figure whose public service, faith and family ties spanned decades.
LaVeta Caryl Stelzmiller, who lived in Placerville for many years with her husband, John, died Aug. 18, 2026, in Sandpoint, Idaho. She was 91.
According to her obituary, private family services are planned for October. Lakeview Funeral Home and Cremation Service in Sandpoint is handling arrangements.
A life that eventually led to El Dorado County
Stelzmiller was born Jan. 7, 1935, in Emery, South Dakota, to Walter and Lorena Heitzman. She attended a one-room schoolhouse as a child before graduating from Emery High School.
She later moved to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where she worked for the telephone company.
On Feb. 9, 1957, she married John Stelzmiller. The couple raised three children and lived in San Jose and Cupertino, where John owned and operated Bay Area Tire. They later moved to Fountain Hills, Arizona, where John built homes, before eventually settling in Placerville.
For residents who knew the Stelzmillers during their years in El Dorado County, LaVeta was more than a familiar name in Republican politics. Her political involvement is documented in federal court records from the 1990s, which identified both LaVeta and John Stelzmiller in connection with the Republican Central Committee of El Dorado County.
Recognition for Republican service
Stelzmiller’s political service reached beyond the county.
She was honored as California Republican Woman of the Year in 1995, according to her published obituary. The California State Assembly’s historical list of Woman of the Year honorees independently confirms LaVeta Stelzmiller as the 1995 honoree for the 4th Assembly District.
That recognition came during a period when the El Dorado County Republican organization was an active force in local and regional politics. Stelzmiller’s name also appears in public records associated with the California Republican Assembly in El Dorado County.
Her political work was only one part of her life.
Faith, family and gardening
Stelzmiller remained active in her church throughout her life. She taught Sunday school and participated in the AWANA youth program.
Her family obituary also emphasizes a much more personal side of her life.
“LaVeta loved her grandchildren,” the obituary states, noting that she also had a green thumb and took great pleasure in gardening and raising plants.
After John retired in 2023, the couple moved from California to Sandpoint, Idaho.
They had been married for 69 years at the time of her death.
Stelzmiller is survived by John; their son, Moe Stelzmiller and his wife, Mary Ann, of Sandpoint; daughter Kristi Stone and her husband, Fred, of Placerville; eight grandchildren — Josh, Lindsay, Shelly, Trevor, Megan, Madeleine, Chelsea and Cassidy; 12 great-grandchildren; and her sister, Joan Johnson of Mitchell, South Dakota.
She was preceded in death by her parents and daughter Lisa Hoaas.
A connection to Placerville remains
Although Stelzmiller’s final years were spent in Idaho, her family connection to El Dorado County continues through her daughter Kristi and son-in-law Fred Stone, who remain in Placerville.
For a community accustomed to measuring political careers by elections, offices and campaigns, Stelzmiller’s legacy is somewhat broader. Her record reflects the quieter, sustained work of a longtime party activist — participation that helped shape local political organizations long before the era of social media and instantaneous political communication.
Her recognition by the California State Assembly in 1995 provides a lasting official record of that contribution.
LaVeta Stelzmiller’s life ultimately carried her from a one-room schoolhouse in rural South Dakota to California’s political arena and, finally, to retirement in northern Idaho.
She was 91.
Source: Family obituary published by the Bonner County Daily Bee and Lakeview Funeral Home and Cremation Service; California State Assembly historical records; Ninth U.S. Circuit Court records.
LaVeta Stelzmiller obituary — Bonner County Daily Bee
California State Assembly Woman of the Year records
Johnson v. Knowles — Ninth U.S. Circuit Court decision
Lakeview Funeral Home and Cremation Service
