John David Schmidt

John David Schmidt, Sr., age 89, passed away on April 2nd, 2026 at the St. Cloud VA Hospital.

 A memorial service will be held for John at Zion Lutheran Church in Litchfield on Saturday, May 2nd at 12:00 PM. Visitation will begin at 11:00 AM, with a luncheon following the service. Memorials may be directed to: Ecumen of Litchfield or the Community Living Center: St. Cloud VA Health Care System.

John was born on August 31, 1936 in Granite Falls, Minnesota - one of four children born to Dr. Paul and Astri (Feyling) Schmidt. After graduating from high school, John attended St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. At the time, John’s uncle, Fred Schmidt, managed the St. Olaf music department, and his aunt, Lenore, taught voice. One of Lenore’s students was a lovely young woman named Marlene Liedman. Lenore saw a potential match made in heaven, so she encouraged her nephew to meet Marlene. Soon after, they went on their first date, and their love story began.

In 1956, after John and Marlene were engaged, John enlisted in the Navy. He spent over two years serving as a medical corpsman on the aircraft carrier, USS Coral Sea. John and Marlene were married on June 14, 1958 in Grove City, Minnesota and shortly after, they moved to Litchfield.

John worked briefly for 3M in Hutchinson before being hired by Tapecoat, Inc., a company based in Evanston, Illinois. John worked for Tapecoat for 35 years until his retirement in 2002. Post retirement, his expertise in the field of buried steel protection and the pipeline industry allowed him to work for a few more years as a contractor/inspector in the North Dakota oil fields. John was inducted into the MGA (Midwest Gas Association, now MEA) hall of fame in 2002 after his years of dedicated work in the natural gas/energy industry, a career in which he took great pride. He enjoyed his work travels, driving throughout the upper Midwest and the mountains of Montana and Wyoming, hunting for arrowheads and agates during his free time.

John and Marlene built their life together in Litchfield, a community they loved for over 67 years. They had three children: Kari, Johnnie, and Stephanie. In 1974, they lost their precious daughter Kari, age 12, after an eight year battle with leukemia. In the summer of 1973, while the family was visiting Rocky Mountain National Park, Kari saw a men’s ring on display in a silversmith’s shop: sterling and turquoise with a bear claw motif. John bought the ring and put it on that day, never once taking it off… for 53 years. Anyone who knew John would recognize that ring, which he wore as a reminder of his love for sweet Kari.

He loved the great outdoors, and was always eager to take the family on adventures, instilling in his children a love of travel and a reverence for the beauty of nature. He enjoyed everything from yardwork to golf to camping and hunting. To him, deer hunting was much more than a seasonal sport. Being a second-generation member of Canyon Deer Trails, Inc. - the family deer camp in northern Minnesota - John found value, kinship, and camaraderie in all of the traditions. The connections, joys, and memories made during decades of hunting seasons and “work camp” weekends remained fundamentally important to John over the years.

Music was an important element in John’s life, and he sang for many years with the Litchfield Area Male Chorus and in the choir at Zion Lutheran Church. John and Marlene were active members at Zion and in the Sons of Norway, celebrating Syttende Mai almost as much as they did the Fourth of July.

John is remembered for his wonderfully congenial and gentle personality; he was always kind and approachable with a ready smile. His memory began fading in recent years, but he never lost or forgot his deep love for Marlene, his wife of 67 years, who was taken from him unexpectedly in December of 2025. Even toward the end of his life, he made deep connections with his extraordinary caregivers at the VA, to whom his family will be forever grateful.

John is survived by his two children, Johnnie Schmidt and Stephanie Johnson, and three beloved grandchildren, Elsa Schmidt, Nina Johnson, and Leif Johnson. John is also survived by his sister, Susan (Jon) Nymo, as well as many loving relatives and friends. Beloved father and grandfather, brother and friend, he will forever be deeply missed by all.