Schmidt, Esther Katherine (1899-1987)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1987 Aug 20 p. 8

Birth date: 1899 Jan 17

text of obituary:

NEWTON & VICINITY

. . .

● Funeral services for Esther Katherine Schmidt, 88, of Newton, were held Aug. 15 at Faith Mennonite Church, Newton, with Ed Stucky officiating. Burial was in Greenwood Cemetery, Newton. A former teacher and missionary to the Indians in Oklahoma, she died Aug. 12 at Bethel Deaconess Hospital. A native of Pawnee Rock, she had moved to Newton 25 years ago from Oklahoma. Survivors include four sons, Richard, Lincoln, Neb.; Robert and Wilbur, both of Newton; James of Oklahoma City, Okla.; one daughter, Eleanor Nickel of Newton; two brothers, Sam Schmidt of Revere, Mass., and Roland Schmidt of Pawnee Rock; two sisters, Lena Grossardt of Claflin and Elizabeth Lundstedt of Long Beach, Calif.; seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, August Schmidt; three brothers and three sisters.

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1987 Oct 22 p. 11

text of obituary:

ESTHER K. SCHMIDT

Esther K. Schmidt was born Jan 17, 1899, at Pawnee Rock, Kan., the eldest child of Samuel J. and Katherine Schroeder Schmidt. She died Aug. 12, 1987.

She spent her early years on the family farm and was baptized and joined the Bergthal Mennonite Church in her teens.

She was graduated from Bethel Academy in 1918. After teaching school for several years at Pawnee Rock and Inman, she enrolled at Bethel College, graduating in 1926. As a student, she showed her independent spirit by enrolling in an industrial arts course. She made several pieces of furniture, which were used in her home throughout her life. She was one of the first to major in home economics at Bethel and minored in mathematics and English. Art was another interest of hers.

She met August Schmidt at college. They were married Aug. 8, 1926, in Bergthal Mennonite Church by J. B. Schmidt. It was somewhat unusual that all the members of the wedding party were Schmidts.

After their marriage, they moved to Meno, Okla., where they taught at Oklahoma Bible Academy. She was involved in the work at Meno until 1954, when they moved to Canton, Okla., where they served the Cheyenne and Arapaho churches. They made many friends and this period of their lives was remembered with fondness in later years.

In 1963 they moved to Newton, Kan., where their retirement years were filled with continued involvement in church and mission activities. She served as dietician at Bethel Home for Aged for a time, was active in the Bethel Deaconess Hospital Auxiliary and the Retired Christian Workers Fellowship. She became a member of Faith Mennonite Church. The church and Mission Circle were important parts of her life. She never missed unless she was ill. She was not in good health the last 18 months of her life, but she remained cheerful and uncomplaining. She often spoke of being ready to go to her heavenly home.

Her life was characterized by a love of family and all people with whom she came in contact. She was a resource person for information concerning extended family relationships. She made a positive statement through the example of her own life.

Activities that brought joy and meaning to her life were serving others, gardening (especially flower gardening) baking rye bread, sewing, needlework and reading.

Surviving are a daughter, Eleanor, and her husband, Bennet Nickel of Newton; four sons, Richard of Lincoln, Robert and wife Betty of Newton, Wilbur of Newton, and James of Oklahoma City, Okla.; seven grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; two sisters, Lena Grossardt of Claflin and Elizabeth Lundstedt of Long Beach, Calif.; and two brothers, Roland Schmidt of Pawnee Rock, and Sam Schmidt of Revere, Mass. She was preceded in death by a son, Donald A. Schmidt, in infancy, three sisters and three brothers.

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The Mennonite obituary: 1987 Oct 27 p. 472

Text of obituary:

Esther K. Schmidt, 88, died Aug. 12 in Newton, Kan. She and her husband, August, who died in 1982, worked in Oklahoma among the Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians from 1954-63. She is survived by five children and their families.