Richard Dean "Dick" Schmidt

Richard Dean "Dick" Schmidt
Date Of Birth: 07/20/1944
Date of Death: 04/22/2023
Dick Schmidt, of Aloha, Ore., died peacefully at home, following a valiant 15-year battle with Multiple Myeloma. He was 78.
Dick was born July 20, 1944, in Portland, Ore. The son of Arthur and Laura (Neustel) Schmidt, Dick grew up on a small Oregon farm nestled on the South Santiam River between Albany and Lebanon. He attended the two-room Lakeview School off Highway 20 from grades 1 through 8. Dick was a proud Albany Union High School "Bulldog" who kept in touch with his Class of 1962, regularly attending reunions and gathering for monthly lunches until last year.
Following high school, Dick enlisted in the U.S. Navy, where he served honorably in the Vietnam era aboard the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk, the most technologically advanced ship of its time. Though mostly stationed on the ship, he also carried out special duties on Vietnam soil in Da Nang. Upon leaving the Navy, Dick went to work at Wah Chang Albany in the metallurgical laboratory while attending Oregon State University as a chemical engineering student.
A highlight of his life was at Wah Chang when he was chosen to analyze a sample of moon dust from the 1969 Apollo 11 Moon Mission, brought back by astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.
Dick left Wah Chang in 1978 and moved to Bend, Ore., where he worked for Century West Engineering/Century Testing Labs. It was in Bend that he met and married Donna Houston. Their son, Brian, was born there. A few years later, Dick accepted a position in Eastern Oregon at the Umatilla Army Depot Activity. There, the family lived in both Hermiston and Boardman, and Dick served on the Boardman Planning commission. They moved to Beaverton, Ore., in 1988, when Dick went to work for Water, Food and Research Lab (now Alexin Analytical Laboratories). A few years later, he went to work for the city of Portland, Bureau of Environmental Services where he held positions in the Water Pollution Control lab and Storm Water Management. He also worked in the city's Office of Sustainable Development, Solid Waste and Recycling department. He retired in 2008.
Dick lived a life surrounded by many good friends and filled with activity and adventure. He grew up a member of the Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Lebanon, and later served as a deacon in the First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Hermiston.
Dick was an avid outdoorsman who loved all of his native Oregon. He loved fishing, hunting, hiking, boating, skiing, and gardening. He played billiards and competitive pool, and captained a few teams through the years. He loved motorcycles and even raced flat track in his younger days. He enjoyed travelling, a good beer and a good cigar.
Dick was an accomplished musician. He played piano, classical accordion and the guitar. His accordion ensemble had the honor of opening the Space Needle at the 1962 World's Fair. In later years, Dick had fun ballroom dancing on weekends and volunteering at many community events. He is a former member and Esquire officer of Hillsboro Elks Lodge 1862. He also spent many years as a volunteer pyro technician helping build and set off the spectacular "Wall of Fire" and other displays at the Oregon International Airshow in Hillsboro. He was a longtime, regular volunteer at Hillsboro Tuesday Market.
Dick was an elected commissioner on the Tualatin Valley Water District Board, where he served from 2005 – 2022, lending his expertise and knowledge to provide clean, safe drinking water to the area today and for future generations.
Dick is survived by his wife, Donna; son Brian (Kambria Phillips) Schmidt, Cornelius, Ore.; granddaughter Marlowe Schmidt; grandson Finnley Schmidt; niece Deana Paul of Lebanon, Ore., many cousins and loving friends. He was preceded in death by his mother, Laura Frances (Neustel) Schmidt; father Arthur William Schmidt, and a sister, Mary (Schmidt) Paul.
Dick's ashes will be inurned at Willamette National Cemetery with full military honors. Dick did not want a funeral. The family plans to hold a casual celebration of life at a later date.
Memorial donations to honor Dick's life and legacy and can be made to the American Water Works Association Water Equation program: https://we.awwa.org/campaign/2023-water-equation/c455217.
Springer and Son in Aloha is in charge of cremation and other arrangements.