Thomas J. Schmidt, 79, of Dubuque died Saturday, November 10, 2018 surrounded by his loving wife and daughters.
A visitation for family and friends will be held Wednesday, November 14, 2018, at the Egelhof, Siegert and Casper Westview Funeral Home and Crematory, 2659 Kennedy Road, 3:00 pm to 6:55 pm, followed by a 7:00 pm memorial service. Burial with military honors will be held at a later date.
Tom was born December 6, 1938 in Dubuque, first born son of Kenneth and Hazel (Stock) Schmidt.
He graduated from Loras Academy and served in the United States Army.
Tom and Karol Saefkow met and fell in love in 1962 and married on February 14, 1963 at St. Columbkille Catholic Church.
He worked in the experimental department as a mechanic for John Deere and retired after 32 years of trusted service.
Tom was an accomplished bowler, has provided countless, fun-filled memories boating and camping on the river with his family, was an avid Hawkeye and Packers fan, was well-read, especially history books, and was a skillful mechanic and carpenter: he built the engine in his El Camino and raced at Earlville, renovated houses before remodeling was “in”, restored old bicycles, and was always found tinkering in his garage.
He is survived by his wife, Karol and their four daughters: Pamela (Robin Nixon) Schmidt of Dubuque; Carrie (Dave) Kirkpatrick of Dubuque and grandson Christian Kirkpatrick; Kelly (Jennifer Jordan) Schmidt of La Crosse and grandchildren Dakota and Skyler Jordan; and Traci (Lance) Andre of Dubuque and granddaughters Amanda and Nicole Meyers and Josie Andre.
He is also survived by a special niece, Darcy (John Vanostrand) Kiebler; a sister, Barbara Culbertson (Mike Cherry); and sister-in-law’s: Patricia (Tom) Bradley, Barbara Stecklein, and Judie Bettcher.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Kenneth and Hazel (Stock) Schmidt and brothers, Robert and Jerry Schmidt.
The family would like to thank the nurses and staffs at Hospice of Dubuque, Mercy Medical Center, Unity Point Health-Finley ICU, and RSCCU at the University of Iowa Hospital.
The family requests no flowers.