Willard Schmitt

Funeral Information

A memorial service for Willard will be held on Saturday, September 12, 2020 at 1 pm at the Popple Trail Blazers on Wadsworth Road, Bad Axe. The family will receive guests for visitation on Saturday from 12 noon until the service time at 1 pm. Masks and social distancing will be required. Memorials may be offered to St. Hubert Religious Education or Food Pantry. If you wish to offer your condolences to Willard’s family, please go to www.kaufmanfuneralhome.com

Family of the Deceased

Willard is survived by five daughters – Nancy (Leo) Gusa of Bad Axe, Linda (Bob) Koroleski of Filion, Julie Deman of Bad Axe, Vicki (Michael) Affholter of Bad Axe and Connie Schmitt of Bad Axe. Step children – Roger (Shelley) Homewood, Rhonda (Daniel) Prill of Bad Axe, Stacey Homewood (Paul Shaw) of Pigeon and Steve (Stephanie) Wood of Bad Axe. Sister-in-laws – Ruthann Schmitt of Bad Axe, Carol Lehnhardt and Tammy (Dan) Felderman of Debuque, Iowa. Twenty-three grandchildren and thirty-great-grandchildren. Many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by four brothers – William, Courtney, Franklin and Lawrence Schmitt, and Brother- in- law Louis (Sonny) Wilcox. Three sisters – Gertrude Bredow, Lucy Talaski and Agnes Ross.

Biography

Willard (Smitty )Schmitt, age 92, of Bad Axe, passed away on Sunday August 23, 2020. Willard was born December 19, 1927 in Bad Axe, son of the late Mathias and Nellie (Ritter) Schmitt. He married Esther Wood on December 30, 1992. She preceded him in death on August 20, 2019. Willard was born on a farm and had farming in his blood. He worked on the family farm until 1951 when he left to serve in the US Army in Germany. He was a Corporal when discharged in 1953. Having his 5 girls to raise he thought he should go to work at Active for “a while” for extra money. He retired from Active 35+ years later as a superintendent in 1992. He continued farming throughout his career at Active, he loved everything about it. Willard loved spending time with family and friends. Most of his brothers and sisters were within a 5 mile radius of his home farm. He made the rounds often for a visit over coffee. He loved family parties and never missed a Schmitt Family Reunion where he could be found playing a fist pounding game of Euchre or telling great stories of the past. Family and friends were also included in other favorite things: Heck’s for Burgers, Green Mill for “one”, coaching and playing softball/blooper ball, the daily lottery tickets and scratch offs for the grand kids...Especially his granddaughter-best bud-and care taker, Melissa Prill. When at home there was shelling corn for the critters, John Wayne Westerns, and Tiger Ball Games for entertainment. Willard was a member of St. Felix Catholic Church in Pinnebog and later a member of Sacred Heart of Bad Axe.

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