Charles Marion Schmidt

Charles (Chuck) Marion Schmidt passed on January 18th, 2025 in the early hours of the morning surrounded by family after a hard fought battle with metastatic melanoma. He was preceded in death by his brother James (Diana) Schmidt. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Fonda Schmidt, sister Margo (Dick) Mason, his two children Tony and Erika Schmidt, two grandchildren Nikolia (Zane) Turnbull and Carson (Riley) Schmidt, and great-granddaughter Adalyne Schmidt.
Chuck was born in Sioux City, Iowa on August 18th, 1944 to Willemina and Christian Schmidt. His family moved west to Rainier, Oregon when Chuck was 13, but eventually settled in Newberg when he was a freshman in high school. During his adolescence Chuck was known as quite the rule breaker and got into his fair share of trouble. However, he'd likely tell you that he was simply making memories. He graduated from Newberg High School in 1962. After high school Chuck went to Alaska in search of some new adventures with a few good friends, but he quickly realized Alaskan winters weren't where he wanted to spend his time.
In 1965 Chuck was drafted into the army and served as a paratrooper in the 173rd airborne division in Vietnam. While serving in Vietnam he learned many skills such as surveying which would later support him in his career as a general contractor. He completed his time in the Army as a Specialist Four E4. For his service, he was awarded the Army Commendation Medal for sustained acts of heroism and meritorious service. Chuck did not talk much about his time in service, but was a proud and vocal supporter of the U.S. military in his later years.
Chuck and Fonda originally met prior to him being drafted, but did not begin dating until he returned from service. They were introduced through mutual friends, Dave and Judy Richards, who would remain their close friends throughout their lives. They began dating in October 1967, and married on March 1st, 1968 while also welcoming their daughter Erika in their first year of marriage. During the winter of 1968, Chuck was furloughed while working as a construction laborer, and he stayed home with Erika while Fonda continued working to support their family. They welcomed a son, Tony, in 1971. Chuck was always an involved and loving father, he found fatherhood and later 'grand'-fatherhood to be one of his life's greatest accomplishments.
In 1974 Chuck convinced Fonda to take the greatest and most rewarding risk of their lives when they started Schmidt Excavating. They worked hard as a husband and wife team while balancing raising a family and a growing business. Schmidt Excavating would later become one of the premier general contracting firms in the Portland metro area. Some of their notable projects throughout the years included Forest Heights in the West Hills of Portland and The Capes at Netarts amongst hundreds of other developments.
In 2014, Chuck and Fonda's son Tony took over Schmidt Excavating. During this time their granddaughter Nikki worked there while attending college and their grandson Carson currently works alongside Tony. Chuck was very proud of his and Fonda's accomplishments in business, but was even more-so to share his life's work with his children and grandchildren.
Chuck and Fonda had begun traveling to Arizona on vacation in the 1980's, and in the early 2000's they transitioned full time for a secondary business venture to run a sod farm. This was short lived, but the family maintained their residence in Arizona to be close to his grandchildren, Nikki and Carson, while they were growing up. Both of his grandchildren were actively involved in sports and extracurricular activities, and Chuck made it a point to attend every event without fail.
Chuck was a very active person and always needed to keep busy. He spent his free time tending to his property in Newberg, and just on the outskirts, affectionately known to the family as "the farm." In 1995 Chuck purchased his first longhorns, and from there he grew his herd amassing over 20 at one time. Although he had many cows over the years, his favorite was a steer named Randy. During the summers Chuck enjoyed tending to his large garden and growing many seasonal flowers which his family was able to enjoy each year.
His interests were not limited to nature, as he had a great interest in history. He had a deep interest in Native American history and Early Civilizations in the Americas. He was also fascinated with Cowboy lore, which informed the names of many of his longhorn cattle over the years.
Chuck was a pillar in the Newberg community for many years where he and his wife Fonda started their business and raised their two children. Chuck's greatest accomplishment was his family. He was so proud to be a husband, father, grandfather, and most recently a great-grandfather.
His family will be having a private graveside service at this time. In lieu of flowers, please make donations in Chuck's name to Barrow Neurological Institute ( https://www.supportbarrow.org/programs-that-save-lives/brain-cancer-research/ ) in Phoenix, AZ as this was where he received care during his battle with cancer. His family is grateful for his team of doctors who not only cared for Chuck, but the entire family throughout this difficult last year."