Don D. Schmidt

Donnie Dean Schmidt,  (Don D), died after a long battle with cancer, diabetes, and heart problems on June 24, 2018 at the Webster County Community Hospital in Red Cloud, Nebraska. of a stroke.

He was born Dec. 9, 1937 at the home farm south and west of Gibbon, Nebraska to William E. H. and Johanna B. A. (Fritz) Schmidt on the family kitchen table at a hefty 12 lbs.  He attended Rural Dist. 3, Zion Parochial School in Kearney, and Gibbon High School.  He was baptized the day of his birth at the famly home.

He began farming with his father when he was sixteen and became known for his modern farming practices and was the first farmer in the area to commit to 30 inch rows and irrigation of every other row.

Don married Betty J. Banks on August 25, 1954 and they lived on the Brown place operated by the Stenjhem  family, prior to purchasing the property.  Don later became disenchanted by farming and moved his family to the wilderness of Meeteetse, WY and took up ranching in 1968. He once again became outstanding in the cattle breeding business raising Shorthorns, and later Limousin cattle using progency testing to improve the cattle lines raised on their ranch and later a ranch that he co-owned cattle with Amax Mining.

In 1980 the family moved to Alpine, California, where Don became a major mechanic in the tire industry for Kennedy Firestone .  Don returned to Kearney, Nebraska where he was a major mechanic for Cash Way.  He retired from Cashway in 2000 with health issues which came to haunt him the remaining years of his life.

The family was blessed with three children, LaVerne, Dennis, and Linda.  Laverne has one son, Kenneth Von Schmidt-Leroux, wife, Carrie Bodkin, daughters, London and Addison.  Dennis, wife, Kathie Colton, daughter, Bobbie Jo who married (Nathan Douglas), daughters, Taylor Jo Lind and Addyson Grace Roady. Linda has twins.  Julie and Justin Schmidt. Justin has three boys, Jared, Colton, and Rhett.

Memorial services were at Trinity Lutheran Church in Blue Hill with Rev.  Jeffery Kuddes officiating Thursday, July 12, 2018 at 3:00 p.m.

The family requests no flowers and suggests memorials going to the church, Lutheran Hour, or any of the diseases that contributed to his death.

Williams Funeral Home
241 West 4th Avenue
Red Cloud, Nebraska  68970

Phone: (402) 746-2500
williamsfuneralhomes@yahoo.com

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