Ronald "Ron" Schmidt

Schmidt, Ronald Gene "Ron"

MADISON - Ronald Gene "Ron" Schmidt, of Madison, Wis., died Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021, suddenly, at the age of 86, from heart failure, leaving this world for his eternal resting place in heaven, which he saw a glimpse of 25 years ago.

Ronald was born on Jan. 30, 1935, to Raymond and Helen (Geisler) Schmidt in St. Louis, Mo. He graduated from Lutheran High School, Milwaukee, Wis., in 1953, where he met his high school sweetheart, Joanne Voigt. They married in 1957 and recently celebrated 64 years of marriage. Ron attended Valparaiso University for undergraduate studies, followed by dental school at Marquette University, earning his D.D.S. in 1960.

In 1963 he moved his family to Madison, Wis., where he opened his first dental practice. His time in the U.S. Navy gave him the vision to practice dentistry in a group setting, which became reality in 1981 when he, along with Don Pfahler, founded Madison Family Dental Associates. His daughter, Lori (Veerman), joined the group in 1987 and practiced alongside him until his retirement in 1997. He was blessed to have wonderful staff and patients who were very dedicated to him and appreciated the excellent care he provided. Ron and Joanne retired to Tucson, Ariz., for 12 years before returning home to Madison to be closer to the family they love.

Ron is survived by his wife, Joanne; three children, Lori (Brett) Veerman, Randall (Maryann) and Robert (Jodi); nine grandchildren, Courtney Hilmanowski (Veerman), Jordan Veerman, Dana Ewbank (Schmidt), Ryan Schmidt, Zach Peters, Hayden Peters, Cailyn Schmidt, Julia Schmidt and Alyssa Schmidt; and four great-grandchildren.

Ron was committed to serving his heavenly Father faithfully. He made it a clear priority to put God first in his life and set a strong example for his family to follow. In March of 1996, Ron suffered a near fatal heart attack which left him in a coma for two days with a grim prognosis. When he surprisingly emerged from the coma and eventually became lucid, Ron spoke of the amazing trip he had been on and his glimpse of a better world, one he is fully experiencing today.

A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Oct. 16 at OUR REDEEMER LUTHERAN CHURCH, 1701 McKenna Blvd., Madison, WI 5371. Visitation will be held from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., till the time of service at church. Interment will take place at Wisconsin Memorial Park in Brookfield, Wis.

The family has requested that those interested in expressing sympathy with a donation please consider the "Raymond Schmidt Lutheran Education Fund" in care of Our Redeemer Lutheran Church. Ron initiated this fund in honor of his father's teaching career serving Lutheran church schools.

To view and sign this guestbook, please visit www.ryanfuneralservice.com.

Ryan Funeral Home & Cremation Services

2418 N. Sherman Ave.

(608) 249-8257