Schmidt, Ormond D. (1922-2007)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 2007 May 28 p. 9

Birth date: 1922 May 20

text of obituary:

Ormond (O.D.) Schmidt, 84, of McPherson, Kan., died May 6, 2007. He was born May 20, 1922, to Karl and Helen (Schroeder) Schmidt at Goessel.

He grew up on a farm. He graduated with the class of 1940 from Goessel Rural High School. He was baptized and joined Goessel Mennonite Church on June 5, 1938, where he was a member until his death.

After high school, he began farming with his father. He also did road grading for Spring Valley Township. In the winter of 1946 he worked for Bethel College in North Newton in farm maintenance. He later worked at Unruh Service Station.

He married Emma Ruth Huxman on Sept. 5, 1947, at Calvary Tabernacle Church in Moundridge.

They moved to a small farm without any modern conveniences southeast of Goessel. Later they were offered a larger farm northeast of Canton. Here he shared labor and equipment with his father and brother Roy. When his parents retired from farming, he and his family moved to the home place northwest of Goessel. In 1958, he began working at Hesston Corp. and was employed there for about 30 years.

In 1963, he took flying lessons and got his private pilot’s license. He and his wife joined the International Flying Farmers organization in 1964, which was an inspiration and very dear to their hearts. They retired from farming in 1994 and moved to McPherson.

Survivors include his wife of almost 60 years, Emma Ruth; two sons, Myron Schmidt of Newton and Neil Schmidt and his wife, Virginia, of McPherson; a daughter, Ellen Gilbert and her husband, Larry, of McPherson; a sister, Velora Krehbiel of Lakin; six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by a brother, Roy.