October 03, 1930 - April 27, 2017
Robert L. Schmidt Obituary (Age 86) Died Thursday the 27th of April, 2017 at Arlettas Adult Care Home in Veradale, WA. He leaves his wife of 59 years, Joyce (Shields) Schmidt; his daughters Jackie Wetherby of Lexington, NC, Janine Kelly of Cashmere, WA and son Russell (Rusty) Schmidt of Nampa, ID; his brother Melvin Schmidt of Airway Heights, WA; 7 grandchildren, 13 great-grandchildren and 1 great-great-grandchild. He was preceded in death by his parents, 2 brothers George and Arthur, and sons Raymond and Robert. Born in Ritzville, WA and raised in Greenbluff, WA, he was the son of John and Lena (Arlt) Schmidt. He was a lifelong resident of Cheney, WA. After graduating from Cheney High School in 1948, he attended Eastern Washington College (now EWU) on a boxing scholarship. After college, he served in the Air Corp at Kelly Field, TX. While there he earned his private pilots license. After his brothers passing, he returned to Cheney to help with the family dairy farm. In 1958, he married his wife, Joyce. He worked a short time at the Cheney Flour Mill. Then he found his true calling when he became one of the first full-time paid fire fighters for the Cheney Fire Department, earning the rank of lieutenant. In 1975, he retired early due to injuries in the line of duty. In retirement, he enjoyed returning to his roots of farming on his small acreage. He had amazing creativity and resourcefulness to build or repair almost anything with almost nothing. He and Joyce had many adventures traveling in their fifth wheel trailer. Bob enjoyed eating good food, socializing with friends and family, and teasing with his sense of humor. He loved music. There are many happy memories of him playing his guitar, singing with his family or square dancing with Joyce and friends. There will be a viewing at Heritage, Thursday, May 4, 2017 10am-5pm. A Funeral Service will be held Friday, May 5, 2017 at 11am at the Cheney Church of the Nazarene with procession to the Spokane Memorial Gardens immediately following. The family extends a special thank you for the loving care he received from Ted and Arletta Kaczmarek at Arlettas Adult Care Home. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Alzheimers Association, alz.org, 1403 S. Grand Blvd #202, Spokane, WA 99203. � To plant a beautiful memorial tree in memory of Robert, please visit our Tree Store. Read more Events APR 27
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