Donald D. Schmitt

1930 - 2019

Donald D. Schmitt, 89, Decatur, passed away Saturday, Aug. 31, 2019, at Adams Memorial Hospital. He was born in Decatur Feb. 2, 1930, to the late Hubert P. and Marie M. (Hoffman) Schmitt. On Sept. 6, 1958, he married Carolyn J. Vachon; after 52 years together, she preceded him in death May 26, 2011.
He was a lifelong parishioner of St. Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church. As a child he attended St. Joseph Catholic School and was a 1949 graduate of St. Joseph Catholic High School. He attended Indiana University in Bloomington.
Don served his country honorably in the U.S. Army from 1951-53, during the Korean War. He attained the rank of corporal and was awarded two Bronze Stars. He was also a member of the Knights of Columbus Msgr. J.J. Seimetz Council 864, the American Legion Post 43, Loyal Order of the Moose Lodge 1311 and the Elk's Lodge B.P.O.E. 993.
He was a butcher by trade and started working when he was a teenager with his late father at the family business, Schmitt Meats. He then took over the shop in downtown Decatur and was the owner/operator for many years until he closed it in 1971.
Don and his late wife, Carolyn, were the founders of the Schmitt Family Reunion, an event they held very dear; as family was the first priority of their lives. Don was quite the conversationalist and was known for his stories and phrases "you might say" and "you following me."
Among survivors are four daughters, Erica (Joe) Lose, Alicia (Mike) Miller, Renee (Spencer) Litchfield and Gretchen (Mark) Brodbeck, all of Decatur; three sons, Dyonis Schmitt of New Mexico, Hans (Sherry) Schmitt of Mechanicsville, Maryland, and John (Patty) Schmitt of Decatur; a sister, Patricia M. Meade of Chicago, Illinois; 13 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by a grandson, Michael J. Lose, May 30, 2019; sister, Elizabeth V. Sansbury; and a brother, Hubert P. Schmitt Jr.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10 a.m. Thursday at St Mary of the Assumption Church, with Father David Ruppert will be the celebrant. Military Honors will be conducted by the American Legion Post 43 immediately following Mass. Burial will take place in St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery at a later date.
Visitation will be from 4-8 p.m. Wednesday at Haggard-Sefton-Hirschy & Zelt Funeral Home, with a reciting of the Holy Rosary at 3:30 p.m., and from 9-10 a.m. Thursday in the St. Mary's Parish Hall.
Preferred memorials are to St. Joseph Catholic School; St. Vincent De Paul Society; or the Schmitt Family Reunion Beer Fund.
Online condolences may be made at www.hshfuneralhome.com.