William R. Schmidt

William Robert Schmidt, 85, of Deersville, formerly of the Cleveland area, passed away on Friday, September 18, 2020, at Park Village Southside New Philadelphia Campus, after a period of declining health. Born March 4, 1935 in Cleveland, he was a son of the late Ernest Herman Schmidt and Martha Homan.

On February 23, 1957, Bill married the former Patricia Ann Hill with whom he enjoyed nearly 62 years of marriage until her passing on January 9, 2019. They are survived by six children, Lawrence C. (Elaine) Schmidt, Robert Schmidt, Kimberly Scheutzow, Raymond Schmidt, Lynn Schmidt, and Mary (Mark) Garrett; 10 grandchildren; and 9 great-grandchildren with another expected. In addition to his parents and wife, he was preceded in death by a grandson, Jacob Schmidt.

After proudly serving his country in the U.S. Army, having been stationed in Germany where he was a tank commander, Bill worked in telecommunications for many years, including for NASA with whom he was proud to have been in the command center for the first space launch. Later, he was a supervisor for support lines with Western Union and a bailiff for the City of Cleveland until his retirement. He was a former member of the Lakewood Jaycees and a lifelong baseball and football enthusiast, having been a bat boy for the Oakland A’s in the 40s. Catholic by faith, he had attended Immaculate Conception Church in Dennison most recently. Bill and Patricia had also enjoyed volunteering with the Dennison Depot Museum, especially with its annual Polar Express Rides.

In the interest of public health, Father Tom Gardner will officiate a private, family service with burial at Deersville’s Patterson-Union Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box 758516, Topeka, Kansas 66675-8516.