Mark Schmidt

1959 - 2021

Mark Schmidt
Born: May 5, 1959 in New Hampton, IA
Died: July 21, 2021 in Peoria, IL
Mark Schmidt, 62, of Princeton, IL was born on May 5, 1959 in New Hampton, IA, the eighth child of the late AvaBeth Mealy and Max Schmidt Sr. He passed away unexpectedly on Wednesday, July 21, 2021 at OSF Peoria, surrounded by his loved ones.
Mark graduated from Crestwood High School in 1977 and majored in agribusiness at Iowa State University. He was a career agronomist who worked in Agronomy sales for Twin States, Ag View FS, Inc, DuPont and most recently Direct Resources, Inc. On July 17, 2004, Mark married Karen (Schleiter-Taylor) Schmidt in Princeton, IL.
Mark was always active, even as a child. This was evidenced by his high school cross country career and the many newspaper articles documenting his 20-plus mile runs to school (even in winter) to train. Mark had a passion for agriculture, which he showed with his personal crop scouting business and his four-season greenhouse, that he used to propagate and grow many different plant species that eventually filled his large gardens in the summer. His joy was not only planting but also harvesting his gardens and sharing his grocery of produce with family and friends. Mark loved a good auction, especially when it allowed him to buy and restore antique farm machinery to share with his family. If Mark wasn't working in the gardens at home, he was giving of his time to others. He enjoyed helping a local church put on a car show. Mark was a diehard Minnesota Vikings and Iowa State Cyclone fan. All these activities, along with his eight children and ever more grandchildren were what filled Mark with joy and continued to keep him active and young.
Mark is survived by his wife Karen (Schleiter-Taylor) Schmidt of Princeton, IL; his siblings, Max (Georgia) Schmidt of Elma, IA, Mary Schmidt of Elma, IA, Rhonda Sands of Dallas, TX, Alice Schmidt of Waterloo, IA and Daryl Schmidt of Elma, IA; his children, Bethany (Brian) Stetson of Chicago, IL, Benjamin (Sheena) Schmidt of Tiskilwa, IL, Brock Schmidt of Kenosha, WI, Blake Schmidt of Princeton, IL, Brenton Schmidt of Chicago, IL, Phillip Taylor of Reno, NV, Andrea Taylor of Abilene, TX, and Stephen (Rosuara) Taylor of Minot, ND.; and his grandchildren, Jalynn, Paisley, Boon, Sierra, Sloane, Brielle, Dak, Shea and one on the way.
He is preceded in death by his parents; and brothers James Schmidt and Ed Schmidt.
A visitation will be held Sunday, July 25, 2021 from 1 to 4 p.m., with a memorial service to follow at 4 p.m., at Grant-Johnson Funeral Home, Princeton, IL. A reception will follow the service at Ye Olde Underground Inn, Princeton. Burial service will be held on Monday July 26, 2021 at 10 a.m. at Oakland Cemetery.
Online condolences may be sent to www.grant-johnsonfh.com.