Russell “Russ” Paul Schmidt, 92, of Shawano, passed away Wednesday, July 21, 2021. Russ was born in Reedsburg on Feb. 8, 1929, to the late Paul and Elsa (Drieschmeier) Schmidt. He attended St. Peters Elementary and Reedsburg High School. He continued his education at UW-Madison, earning a degree in Agricultural Marketing. Upon graduation, he was commissioned in the U.S. Army Transportation Corp and served one year in the United States and one year in Korea.
After his honorable discharge, Russ was employed by Cenex Corporation as a field representative in Marshfield. There, he met his soon-to-be wife, Sally Salter, and they were united in marriage on Dec. 9, 1960. After 10 years at Cenex, Russ became manager of the Marshfield Farmer Cooperative for four years. Following that, he was hired to build and manage the Marshfield Holiday Inn, which he did for five years.
In 1973, Sally and Russ purchased Steinhart’s Cheese in Shawano, renaming it The Cheddar Box Cheese House. They operated the business until they retired in 1993. They were active members of St. James Lutheran Church.
Russ was extremely passionate about Shawano and was active in the community. He was on the Shawano Medical Center Board of Trustees, the Shawano Area Community Foundation Board of Directors, the Valley Bank Board, the M&I Bank board, the BMO Bank board and the Shawano County Board, as well as being a member of Shawano Rotary Club and a mission pilot of the Civil Air Patrol. Russ also served as an alderman on the Shawano City Council for 20 years and then served as the mayor for six years. His campaign slogan when running for mayor was “Schmidt Happens!”
Russ enjoyed traveling, had a passion for aviation and was a private pilot for over 50 years. In addition to spending time with his family and granddogs, he also enjoyed hobbies such as carving waterfowl, painting and fishing. Russ was an ever-curious man with a strong desire to learn. He was always reading and took classes into his 90s. He loved to share his knowledge with his family, friends and the younger generation. In his retirement, he was a substitute teacher well into his 80s.
Russ is survived by his wife, Sally Schmidt; children, Jennifer (Tim) Lorge and Steve (Jolene) Schmidt; and grandchildren, Kaitlin and Sam Lorge. He is further survived by numerous nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Paul and Elsa Schmidt; and two sisters, Bernice Schroeder and Lenore Shird.
A memorial service for Russ will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021, at St. James Lutheran Church in Shawano with Pastor Mark Drengler officiating. Inurnment will be in Woodlawn Cemetery at a later date. Visitation will be held Saturday at the church from 9:30 a.m. until the time of service.
In lieu of flowers, memorials can be sent to the St. James Education Fund or the Honor Flight Network.
www.swedbergfuneralhome.com
Russell ‘Russ’ Paul Schmidt
