Robert Schmidt Obituary

ROBERT WILLIAM SCHMIDT Robert William Schmidt, 98, passed away peacefully on April 23, 2013, at Plymouth Place in LaGrange Park, Illinois. A 50-year resident of Indian Head Park, Bob was born in Chicago in 1914, to Andrew August and Marie Beckman Schmidt. Bob graduated from Tilden Tech High School. During high school, he built his own sailing boat and took second in Chicago in wrestling. He was inducted into their Hall of Fame in 1993. He graduated in 1936, from the Armour Institute, now the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) with a B.S, in Mechanical Engineering. At IIT, he was given the Collens Merit Award in 2008, and named to the Phillip Danforth Armour Society in 2013. In 1940, he married Violet Danielson, at St. Matthew 's Lutheran Church, in Chicago. He served in the United States Navy, from 1943-1946, as a Lieutenant JG, where he used his mechanical engineering skills to repair damaged warships. He earned a Navy merit award for innovation. Later, Bob was hired to start the Instrumentation Department for Kimberly Clark in Neenah, Wisconsin. After he left K.C., he founded Industrial Measurement and Control Corporation (which became Copar Corporation in Burbank, Illinois). In 1960, Bob and Vi moved the family to a new house in Indian Head Park. Bob served as a member of the Village Board of Trustees as well as Commodore of the Lincoln Park rowing club. Bob and Vi were 50-year members of Grace Lutheran Church, in LaGrange. They enjoyed summers in Door County where he and Vi were active in Shepherd of the Bay Lutheran Church, and the Ellison Bay Yacht Club. Bob was an avid sailor and was featured in an article in the Door County Advocate in 2002, about his solo sailing well into his 80 's. Bob was preceded in death by his wife, Violet. He is survived by his daughter, Carol Rebholz, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, son, Stephen (Gail) Schmidt, of Indian Head Park, and five grandchildren, Kristin Rebholz, Claire (Robb Scheele) Rebholz, Katherine Rebholz, Michael Schmidt, and David Schmidt, and two nieces, Penny (Arden) Sult, and Susan (Robert) Graff. Burial will be private. A memorial service celebrating his life will be held in Dole Hall, at Plymouth Place, 315 N. LaGrange Road, LaGrange Park, Illinois, 60526, on May 4th, at 10 a.m. In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to his alma mater, the Illinois Institute of Technology, (online at give.iit.edu/Schmidt) or at: Illinois Institute of Technology, Office of Institutional Advancement, 10 W 35th Street, Suite 1700, Chicago, Illinois, 60616, Attn: Schmidt Memorial. Hallowell & James Funeral Home assisting the family 708-352-6500