SCHMIDT - THOMAS I. SCHMIDT, aged 53, of 628 6th St. NW, passed away Friday morning in St. Mary' Hospital after a lingering illness. Mr. Schmidt was employed as a maintenance man at West Catholic School. He was a veteran of World War II.

He is survived by his wife, MRS. STELLA SCHMIDT; one daughter, MRS. BRUCE (CATHY) WALLACE; one son, MICHAEL T. SCHMIDT; one step-grandchild, KRISTINK WALLACE; his father, RUDY SCHMIDT and his mother-in-law, MRS. ANTOINETTE CIMOCHOWSKI; two brothers, one twin brother P. SCHMIDT, and JAMES R. SCHMIDT, step brother, C.D. MOHAN all of Grand Rapids; three sisters, MRS. DONALD (BARBARA) MEYER of Spring Lake; DR. and MRS. JACK (SHIRLEY) SIKORS of Texas; MRS. MICHAEL (PEGGY) KEENAN of Grand Rapids; several nieces and nephews.

Funeral mass will be offered Monday morning at 11 o'clock in St. James Church. Interment Resurrection Cemetery. Mr. Schmidt reposes at the Alt Mortuary where relatives and friends will recite the rosary Sunday evening 7 o'clock. Friends may meet the family at the mortuary Saturday 7 to 9 and Sunday 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 pm.

THE GRAND RAPIDS PRESS, Grand Rapids, Mich., Sat., Mar. 17, 1979, Pg. 7B, Col. 2, Obit. 3

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MR. TOM SCHMIDT PASSES AWAY

HIS SPIRIT WILL NOT BE FORGOTTEN

On March 16, 1979, MR. TOM SCHMIDT, a former maintenance man here at West, passed away at the age of 53. Mr. Schmidt worked here for four years before his death in St. Mary's Hospital.

Mr. Schmidt graduated from Catholic Central High School. He was a boxing fan and competed in the light-weight division of the Golden Gloves. He entered the Army and fought in Germany during World War II.

Mr. Schmidt was a kind man who liked West Catholic and did his job well. He could be seen everyday in the cafeteria and was a familiar face to the students in the halls. He was well liked by everyone because he had such an outgoing personality and loved being with and joking with the students.

Mr. Schmidt had many admirable qualities, perhaps the finest of which was his generosity. Mr. Gossett commented, "Tom would give a total stranger the shirt off his back. I can recall students asking to borrow money for a phone call, food, or whatever, and Tom would always come through even though he realized he might never be repaid."

Mr. Wagner remembers Mr. Schmidt this way, "Tom was always willing to help, no matter what the costs. What is amazing, in retrospect, is that even when his health was failing, he still maintained his attitude toward helping people."

Mr. Schmidt had several hobbies. He liked to bowl and play cards with his family. He also liked to visit his friends and go to social affairs with his wife, STELLA SCHMIDT, who currently works at Lear Siegler. One of the events he liked to attend was parish chicken barbecues.

Mr. Schmidt was a big sports fan and often attended school basketball games. He also liked baseball and attended games his son MIKE played in while he was on the baseball team before he graduated in 1976. He also has a daughter, CATHY. Both children attended West Catholic.

Mr. Schmidt was a fine man and although he is gone, he will not be forgotten. He was indeed a part of West Catholic in his own special way and was greatly appreciated. He will be sadly missed by all his friends in the maintenance department.

THE WESTWORD, Catholic Central High School, Grand Rapids, Mich., Tues., April 10, 1979, Pg. 3

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