JOE HUNTER SCHMID

JOE HUNTER SCHMID died July 16,2012 in Houston. Born in Dallas February 26, 1938 to A.D. (Abe) and Nancy Schmid, Joe was raised in Houston. He graduated from San Jacinto High School in 1955 and Texas A&M in civil engineering,Class of 1959. He was a Registered Professional Engineer.
Joe married Judy Glenn Hunt of Lubbock in 1960. They lived in Lawton, OK where he served as a second lieutenant in the United States Army. They returned to Irving, TX after the service and then to Houston in 1966. He and his partner Charles Milstead formed Environmental Improvements, Inc. (EI2) shortly after and later formed Gaylord Investments. Joe and Judy joined Pines Presbyterian Church in 1967 where he was an elder and served on the stewardship and Christian Education committees.
At A&M Joe was a manager of the football team under Paul "Bear" Bryant. He was Company Commander of B Athletics. He and Judy have provided a 12th Man Endowment and he was a past member of the Executive Committee. They have loved sitting in "the Zone" for football games, attended basketball games and had great club seats for baseball. They also supported the Aggie golf team And cooked barbecue for them. Joe and Judy joined Pine Forest Country Club in 1979 and was active in everything with golf and was a past president. Joe joined Texas Vaqueros in 1983. He loved being "a cowboy" with his buddies on their annual trail ride. He was a barbecue cook with Granada Cookers and formed his own team, Emergency 9. He was a Lifetime Director of the Rodeo and was chairman of the Breeder Greeters Committee.
Joe's deepest love was for Camp Blessing, Texas, a camp for Special Needs Children founded by his daughter and her husband, Jodi and Charles Ferguson. His other love was his "My Blue Heaven Farm" near Brenham where he and Judy have hosted an annual barbecue for the last fifteen years.
Joe is survived by Judy Hunt Schmid, his wife of fifty one years, daughters Jill Lynn Schmid, Jenda Gail Ballard and her husband Wayne Ballard of Chino Valley, AZ, and Jodi Beth Ferguson and her husband Chuck, his sister and brother in law Gail and Wayne Smith of Longview, brother and sister in law Thomas and Elizabeth Schmid of Santa Barbara, CA. His six grandchildren were the light of his life and he had many beloved nieces, nephews, and cousins.
His faith, family, and friends were more important to him than his many accomplishments. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to Camp Blessing, Texas, P. O. Box 2268, Tomball, TX 77377.
Memorial service to be at one o'clock Wednesday, July 18, at Grace Presbyterian Church, 10221 Ella Lee Lane, Houston.