Paul William Schmid

Whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's. Rom 14:8
Paul William Schmid, age 85, left this earth and went to be with his Lord, Feb. 14, 2014, at his home in Gainesville, Ga. Paul, the eldest son of the Rev. Eugene E. Schmid and Helene Bruening Schmid, was a graduate of Tulane University. He was raised across the river from New Orleans, but spent most of his adult life as a resident of Titusville, Fla.
Drafted into the army during the Korean War, Paul joined the Army Corp of Engineers and worked in White Sands, N.M., with Werner Von Braun's team. It was while he worked for Chrysler Missile that he fell in love with his wife, Virginia B. Ilnisky. They married in 1958 and she joined him in Titusville, Fla., where he was located. While with Chrysler Missile, Paul did design work on all the Redstone rockets. In 1963, he began working with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and continued there until 1997, when he retired. After retirement, Paul and Virginia were able to spend more time pursuing their interest in traveling the world, until Paul suffered a major stroke in 2005. In 2007, Paul moved to Georgia to be closer to his son who could care for him.
Paul was a committed Christian and family man as well as a friendly person who enjoyed a good laugh. Paul and Virginia worked diligently to raise their children in the fear of the Lord.
Some of Paul's Lessons from Life and Engineering: Hydraulic systems will leak, provide containment; Check the air in your spare; Don't cross bridges you haven't come to; Most bad things happen suddenly and without warning - you can recover; Look back only for lessons learned; A high IQ does not equal wisdom, nor is a college degree the proof of an educated person; A person can accomplish a great deal if you maintain an attitude of not minding who gets the credit.
Paul is survived by his brother, the Rev. John B. and Ethel Schmid, of Raymore, Mo.; beloved wife of 55 years, Virginia; his son and daughter-in-law, Bill and Suzanne Schmid, and their children Katie, John and Timothy, of Gainesville, Ga.; daughter, Susan K. Schmid, of Morristown, Tenn.; son and daughter-in-law, James and Tricia Schmid, and their twin sons, Paul and David, of Calera, Ala.; and an extended family who loved him.
Memorial services are scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 16, 2014, at 3 p.m. at Smoky Springs, 940 South Enota Drive, Gainesville, GA.
The family requests in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions be made to Lakewood Baptist Church of Gainesville, Ga., Park Avenue Baptist Church of Titusville, Fla., or New Tribes Mission of Sanford, Fla.
Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord. Rev 14:13
Memorial Park Funeral Home, 2030 Memorial Park Road, Gainesville, GA 30504, is in charge of arrangements.
Send online condolences to www.memorialparkfuneralhomes.com.