Obit: Schmitt, Mark A. #2 (1932 - 2019)

Transcriber: Robert Lipprandt
bob@wiclarkcountyhistory.org 

Surnames: Aichele, Fosdick, Hastie, Hull, Kaiser, Kocian, Kruse, Kuehn, Kunze, Lang, Meyer, Peterson, Rasmussen, Redfern, Redmann, Reynolds, Scanlon, Schmitt, Schreiner, Zera

----Source: The Tribune-Phonograph (Abbotsford, WI) 4/10/2019

Schmitt, Mark “Sparky” A. (25 APR 1932 - 6 APR 2019)

Mark “Sparky” A. Schmitt, age 86, passed away peacefully at his home in Colby on Saturday, April 6, 2019.

A Mass of Christian burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, April 15, 2019, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Colby. Fr. Joseph Redfern will preside. Interment will follow at St. Mary Catholic Cemetery with military honors provided by the Colby VFW Post No. 2227. Visitation will occur at the church beginning at 9 a.m. Monday until the time of the service.

The Maurina-Schilling Funeral Home in Colby is entrusted with the arrangements.

Mark was born on April 25, 1932, the son of Alphonse and Gertrude (Kaiser) Schmitt, in the Town of Hull. He attended eight grades at Riverside School. Mark married Delores Schreiner on March 12, 1955, at St. Anthony Catholic Church in Renton, Wash. He joined the U.S. Army in 1953 and received an honorable discharge in Oct. 1955.

Mark worked at many jobs. He was born and raised on a dairy farm and later farmed for 18 years; he worked in feed mills and cheese factories; set tile for Twin City Tile & Marble Company; built airplanes for Boeing in Renton, Wash.; and worked for different construction companies building homes, mobile homes and agricultural buildings. Mark helped set the tile and marble at the Southdale shopping mall in Minneapolis which was the first big mall in the city.

Mark enjoyed family gatherings, playing cards and telling tall tales, reading Louis L’Amour stories and watching John Wayne movies.

Mark is survived by Delores, his wife of 64 years; two sons: Jeff (Linda) Schmitt of Greenwood and Jim Schmitt of Colby; five daughters: Kim (Gene) Hull of Joliet, Mont., Linette (Doug) Hastie of Ankeny, Iowa, Laurie Aichele (Charlie Kuehn) of Fall Creek, Pam Reynolds of Colby and Gail (Dean) Meyer of Abbotsford; 16 grandchildren; and 24 great-grandchildren. He is also survived by two brothers: Linus (Joan) Schmitt of Wausau and Tim (Suzie) Schmitt of Blenker; three sisters: Germaine (Fred) Redmann of Athens, Mary Ann Scanlon of Arlington Heights, Ill., and Verjean Kunze of Abbotsford; two sisters-in-law, Rita (Geiger) Schmitt of Abbotsford and Nola (Bob) Rasmussen of Graham, Wash.; and a brother-in-law, Michael (Judy) Schreiner of Kent, Wash.

Mark was preceded in death by his daughter, Gwen; his parents; two brothers: Roman and Emery Schmitt; seven sisters: Rita (Lawrence) Peterson, Maude (Elmer) Kocian, Carmen (Lee) Fosdick, Naomi (Harry) Kruse, Mercedes (Leo) Lang, Blanch (Angelo) Zera and Pamela Schmitt; and brothers-in-law: Lawrence Kunze, Ted Scanlon, Bill Schreiner and Sylvan (Connie) Schreiner.

Mark’s family would like to thank the staff at Dycora for their tender treatment while he was a resident at their facility. Most of all, we would like to extend our gratitude to the nurses and aides from Hope Hospice for the excellent care that was given to him. Without their guidance and assistance we would not have been able to bring him home to live out his final days.

Online condolences can be made to www.maurinaschillingfuneralhome.com.