Montezuma - Willard B Schmidt was born on September 5, 1932, the son of Ben J. and Lydia (Unruh) Schmidt in Montezuma. It was also in Montezuma where his earthly sojourn of 90 years ended the afternoon of May 20, 2023, when he peacefully slipped away as he rested in his recliner at the Bethel Home.

Our dad was third in a family of eight children. When he was five years old, his father was taken from the family in a tragic work-related accident, and in the next nine months three of his siblings also died. When he was around 11 years old, the family moved to Halstead, Kansas. While they lived in Halstead, Dad accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as his Savior and was baptized into the Church of God in Christ, Mennonite by Minister Carl Dirks on March 2, 1945, taking a vow to which he remained faithful all his life. Another move in 1947 took the family westward across the country to Winton, California; and it was here that he spent his youth years. He had opportunity to attend the second Boys' Preparatory Class in Tucumcari, New Mexico in the early 1950's. He met Mom when the Boys' Class gave their program at the Lonetree Church.

On November 23, 1952, Dad and our mother, LaVeda Koehn were joined in marriage by Minister Jonas B. Koehn at the Lonetree Congregation, Galva. On their wedding day, Dad found out that he'd received his induction papers and would need to report for duty to the US military. He and his bride returned to California for a short time, he was granted 1-W status and they soon moved to Larned, to work in Larned State Hospital for the next two years. Dale was born while they lived in Larned.

After Dad completed his 1-W service in Larned, the little family returned to California for a short while, and then they moved to central Kansas where they became a part of the Hesston congregation. Two more sons, Lonnie and Ancel, were added to the family there. Employment opportunities later took them to Rich Hill, Missouri and to Montezuma,  and in retirement they spent five years in Olathe, Colorado before returning to Montezuma.

Dad was a friendly, out-going man who made many friends in the places life took him. He cherished friendships from his service days in Larned, the communities and congregations that were home to them, and the time he and Mom served in Gallup, New Mexico as "Papa and Mama" at the Christian Child Care Home. He took delight in visits from friends both near and far! In our phone conversations of later years, he would often say, "And do you know who visited me today?!" When he was younger, he enjoyed singing with friends, and in his later years his enjoyment in song came from listening to others sing.

There was always room in the family for one more and Dad welcomed his daughters-in-law and his grandchildren, as well as their spouses, as they were added to the family. Some of the older grandchildren remember the days of the ol' green pickup and the Plymouth Duster and driving about town or the countryside with Papa Willie. More recent visits often included a tour around Bethel Home to meet Grandpa's friends and caregivers.

Even though his time to leave came a little sooner than we expected, we believe Dad was preparing for that time by reviewing his life and wanting to be sure all was in order for the time when God would call him home. We all look forward to meeting him in that Home some day!

Those who will remember him include his sons: Dale of Oak Grove, Missouri, Lonnie and Twila of Delta, Colorado, Ancel and Ruth of Bonners Ferry, Idaho; ten grandchildren, twenty-six great-grandchildren, three great-great-grandchildren; a sister, Lavaunda Schmidt of Montezuma, a brother, Ben and Sylvia Schmidt of Atwater, California; a step-sister, Norma Koehn of Atmore, Alabama, a stepsister-in-law, Pat Unruh of Dodge City, and a brother-in-law, Milton and Myrtle Koehn of Fredonia as well as many nieces, nephews and friends. Those gone before are his wife, LaVeda, his parents, his stepfather, Sam Unruh, a daughter-in-law, Carla, three brothers, two sisters, and one great-grandson.

Funeral service will be held at Montezuma Mennonite Church on Friday, May 26, 2023 at 10:30 AM.  Burial will follow at Montezuma Mennonite Cemetery.  Visitation will be at Swaim Funeral Chapel, Montezuma on Thursday, May 25, 2023 from  10:00 AM to 3:00 PM.  Memorials are suggested to Bethel Home  in care of the funeral home.  Thoughts and memories may be shared in the online guest book at www.swaimfuneralhome.com.