John C. Schmidt
John C. (Callie) Schmidt passed away at home on Wednesday, June 2, 2021. He was born in Huntingburg, Ind., on Sept. 26, 1927.
He is preceded in death by his parents, John H. and Pauline Winkler Schmidt; his wife, Edna Gates Schmidt; two brothers, Clifford and Odie Schmidt; and a nephew, Greg Schmidt.
Callie is survived by his daughter, Jonni Schmidt, and son, Jeff Schmidt (Sandy); four grandchildren, Jennifer, Tony, Ryan and Ross; three great-grandchildren, Gavin, Jaelyn and Canaan; and a sister, Joyce Cart.
Callie was cared for by the kindest ladies on earth: Wanda Patton, Linda Newbern, Sherry Hoover, Doris Lanham, Nancy Terry and Peggy Bright and his daughter and son.
Callie graduated from Huntingburg High School in 1945 and joined the Navy that August. He served as a radar man on a carrier from 1945 through 1948. He was in the South Pacific to witness operation Sand Stone, which was the testing of three atomic bombs. When he returned to Marengo in 1948, he met Edna and they married in 1950. They were married for 66 years.
In 1959, along with his father, they opened Schmidt Cabinet Co. Inc. It was a family owned business with not only his wife and kids, but two of his grandsons as well, Tony Beavers and Ryan Schmidt. The business was open for 60 years. He truly enjoyed building the business and all the distributors that were set up throughout the country. Thousands of Schmidt kitchens have been installed from Hawaii to Maine and overseas in Cuba and a castle in England.
He enjoyed playing golf and, in 1972, he opened the New Salisbury Golf Course. He wanted a golf course in the county that was open to everyone, not just members. It was a nine-hole course with a lot of charm and the No. 7 hole was ruled one of the most difficult golf holes around. It made him very happy when his granddaughter, Jennifer Beavers Vermillion, made the boys’ golf team at North Harrison, prior to the start of a girls’ team. “Natural talent,” he would say. His oldest grandson, Tony Beavers, met his wife at the New Salisbury Golf Course, and Callie told him, “You better hold onto that little gal” (which he did). Gavin Vermillion, his great-grandson, enjoyed playing the course as well and spent many a weekend there. Making the course available to the schools was important to him. The North Harrison golf team used it as their home course and so did Crawford County High School. The course was open for 42 years.
He enjoyed taking pictures on his Sunday drives with two of his dear friends, Buddy and Frank Bosler. They have been on every back road in a 50-mile radius, ending up one Sunday in a dry creek bed. Thank goodness for OnStar.
One of Dad’s favorite sayings was, “Every day is a good day … some are just better than others.” To the people that knew him well, he was a dandy!
Arrangements by Swarens Funeral Home in Ramsey, Ind.
Due to COVID-19, there will only be a three-hour visitation (face masks required) from 9 a.m. to noon with the funeral at the funeral home following immediately afterward. No gathering for a meal is planned.
