Harry Edward "Hank" Schmidt Jr.

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Bexley High School Ohio State University

Harry Schmidt Obituary

Harry E. Schmidt Naples, FL

Harry Edward "Hank" Schmidt, Jr., 97, of Naples, FL, died February 11, 2012. Born in Columbus, OH on April 21, 1914, he was preceded in death by his parents, Harry Edward Schmidt and Anna Hoeffler Schmidt; his wife of 67 years, Virginia C. Schmidt; and his son. Peter.

Hank was the second of seven children. Four of his brothers preceded him in death, William Louis Schmidt, Brother John Baptiste Schmidt, Monsignor Robert Roy Schmidt and Richard Pershing Schmidt.

He is survived by his sister, Mary Virginia Van Camp; and brother, James Joseph (Mary) Schmidt; children, Harry Edward (Carolyn) Schmidt III of Columbus and their children, Alex and Lara; Jean Lee (Angela) Schmidt of New York City and their daughter, Genevieve; John Brannon (Lana) Schmidt of Columbus and their children, Lisa and Kara; and R. Jeffrey (Judy) Schmidt of Dallas and their children, Jason, Jill, and John; 12 great-grandchildren; and his dear friend and companion Mrs. Marcella ("Marcy") Brehm.

Hank attended St. Marys of the Springs Academy and St. Thomas Elementary School in Columbus, St. Aloysius Academy in Fayetteville, OH, graduated from St. Charles in 1932 and attended The Ohio State University. Except for a brief period in his early business career when he resided in Detroit, he was a lifelong resident of Columbus. He and Virginia resided both in Columbus, Ohio and Naples, FL between the years 1972 and 1985. They established their permanent home in Naples, FL in 1985, where they lived for many years in Windemere on Gulf Shore Boulevard North.

Hank was the sole owner of the Schmidt Bottling Company, which produced Nesbitts Orange and the Schmidt Soft Drinks. In 1950, he joined his brotherin-law as a co-owner and operator of the Cohagan Hardware Company. Following the sale of the Cohagan Hardware Company in late 1974 to the Busy Beaver Corporation, Hank was active in the residential real estate brokerage business in Columbus before retiring permanently to Naples.

For the last several years he has resided in Bentley Village in north Naples where he has been one of the Village's "best known personalities," beloved by all for his warmth, generosity and genuine concern and caring for all. He always remembered birthdays and anniversaries with a phone call or card (which he made on his computer, "Cards by Hank"), and regularly organized dinners with his many groups of friends.

Always energetic, active, outgoing, and joyful, he was an involved community volunteer. A lifelong Rotarian, he believed deeply in, and exemplified the Rotarian mottoes, "Service above Self" and "One Profits Most Who Serves Best." He was the cofounder of the Whitehall/Bexley Rotary Chapter in Columbus, an active member of the Naples - North Rotary Club, and was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award "For years of upholding and furthering the principles and ideals of the Rotary Way of Life."

In Columbus, he was active in the Charity Newsies Organization and a tireless participant with his wife Virginia in the Meals on Wheels program for the poor. Hank and Virginia also were very active and involved in the parent and athletic organizations of Bexley High School supporting their children. For many years, their welcoming home became the place to build the class homecoming floats. Hank was a longtime member of the Columbus Country Club where he was active in numerous committees, including, acting for several years, as chairman of the Bath and Tennis Committee. He also was active in the Columbus Athletic Club and the Wyndemere Club of Naples. At Bentley, Hank volunteered at the Care Center and always took time to visit and help his friends who were in the Care Center or Assisted Living. An avid golfer and tennis player, both in Columbus or Naples, he was reliably competitive, usually besting opponents many years his junior. He played tennis well into his eighties and was still playing golf at 95. Hank also was also a competitive and keen bridge and gin rummy player.

An enthusiastic supporter of The Ohio State University and its athletic programs, especially those of football and basketball, Hank was a dedicated "Buckeye," regularly appearing in "scarlet and gray" for important athletic events and displaying the OSU flag on his balcony in Naples every Saturday afternoon the Buckeyes were playing.

Approaching his 98th birthday, Hank remained intellectually vibrant, curious and involved in the world, and lived each day to the fullest. He read the Wall Street Journal every day, worked out regularly at Bentley's fitness center, attended Mass every day, kept up with politics, emailed his friends and family, used his computer to manage his finances, made greeting cards, download his photos, and recently began using his iPad to read books and visit with his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren, using FaceTime. A man of great faith, his life exemplified the Christian principles, which guided and sustained him.

A Funeral Mass will be held on Friday, February 17, 2012 (TOMORROW) at 11:00 a.m. at St. Leo Catholic Church, 28290 Beaumont Road, Bonita Springs, FL.

A Memorial Service will be held on Friday, February 17th at 3:00 p.m. at the West Clubhouse, Bentley Village, 704 Village Circle, Naples, FL. A reception will follow.

The plans for a memorial service in Columbus, OH will be announced at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to The Rotary Foundation Polio Plus Fund or Disaster Recovery Fund, at 14280 Collections Center Drive, Chicago, IL 60693, or online at www.rotary.org.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by Naples Daily News from Feb. 14 to Feb. 16, 2012.

Memories and Condolences
for Harry Schmidt

8 Entries

Mary Ellen Morgan

March 29, 2012

Dear Jean, Teddy, Jeff, and John,

Your father's passing leaves a great hole in the space that all of those avid bridge players, who laughed so much, dominated. I can still hear his laughter, and that of your dear mother.

Mother and Daddy held your parents very dear and in the highest esteem, and I was enthralled by them. I dont think I ever see a bow tie that I dont think of your dad. When ever I see a bottle of orange or grape pop, Nesbitts or not, I still think of the fun times we had at CCC and at your house.

Please know that my heart is with each of you, and I am so sorry to miss a chance to see you at today's service at the Columbus Club, but work holds me right now.

With love and treasured memories,

Mary Ellen Morgan
Daughter of Dave and Ellen Morgan

John J. MacKinnon

February 18, 2012

Our thoughts and prayers are with the Schmidt family. A true gentleman who we all should try and emulate. My late father, Joe, and the entire MacKinnon Family admired him greatly!

St. Charles Alumni

February 16, 2012

A fine graduate of Saint Charles Borromeo Preparatory School goes on to his eternal reward. Rest in peace Mr. Schmidt from a life well lived. --Your alumni Brothers of St. Charles

Greg&Pam Bastien

February 15, 2012

We were condominium managers under Mr. Schmidt at Windemere. He was the kindest, and finest person that we have ever met.
He did many kind things for us. The office had an old typewriter, and Pam needed a computer. He loaned us the money to buy one. We wanted to rent a pontoon and he let us use his credit card.
Greg and he always shook hands when they ran into each other, and they would always see who had the hardest hand shake. We were servers in he and Mrs. Schmidt's apartment for a dinner party, and that was really fun. Greg loved it when he was President of the Board, because the meetings were kept running smoothly and over in one hour.
We enjoyed many dinners with Mr. and Mrs. Schmidt at the Cracker Barrel. When he got his first computer, Pam gave him lessons, and he paid her $10 an hour. It was a proud moment for him when he got to look up Law test results for a grandson.
Mrs. Schmidt said something once that we have repeated many times. She said, "Aren't us old people funny?"
Greg and Pam were not married when they took over, and Mr. Schmidt called Pam, and very delicately asked if we needed separate bedrooms when we took over as managers. Alway thoughtful, always courteous, and very strong and handsome man.
We loved Mr. Schmidt, and glad that he lived such a long and productive life. He was one of our favorite persons, and we will always remember him fondly.
Our heartfelt sympathies to the family, and God Bless you all. He loved you all very, very much.
Greg and Pam Bastien

February 15, 2012

I am so saddened to hear of Hank's passing. Knew him in his volunteer role at NCH and also when he came to the Botanical Garden with his Rotary buddies. What a joyous soul! He will indeed be missed.

February 14, 2012

We extend our condolances to all of the Schmidt family and remember fondly the many times we all shared with him in Bexley,Ohio. As our father always said of "Hank" in his later years..."What a guy!"
Thoughts and prayers with all of you.
Don & Diana Elsass
Davidson,N.Carolina

Roger Williamson

February 14, 2012

John, Jeff, & Jean,
I was sad to hear of your father's passing. What a great person! I was impressed to read about what he did in Bexley and Naples. He always stayed active and cared for others. What a great example for us! Our parents were best friends. After ballgames, Hank's words of encouragement meant a lot to me. Betty & I live in Naples. We'd like to hear from you. Our deepest sympathy. Roger & Betty

Charles Vitale

February 14, 2012

It has been said that when one crosses over they will be greeted by all their loved ones and friends. I, for one, know Hank will be busy for a very long time.
I first met Hank at a Naples North Rotary meeting. I was visiting Rotarian from Geneseo NY. After the meeting he came and asked if I knew where Piffard was. I told him I grew up there. He then told me of his brother John, a Trappist Monk, was at The Abbey of the Genesee monastery (original makers of Monk's Bread), and he tried to visit once a year. Our friendship grew from there. On one of his trips he even stopped and met my brother John who lives there. When speaking to my brother after his visit he commented on what a pleasure it was to meet Hank and Virginia.
Not long after joining Naples North Rotary I became the club chair for The Rotary Foundation. From that I learned a lot from and about Hank, communicating with him frequently. Many times when he would make a memorial contribution to The Rotary Foundation (TRF) for a friend that had passed on. He also was one of the first to commit to a special TRF district fund raiser. This special fund raiser was to last ten years. I think he was 89 at the time.
Hank was always one of the first to volunteer for a project. When we had the opportunity to be the first organization to become an Adopt A Precinct for the Collier County Supervisor of Elections Office and I asked for volunteers, of course Hank was there. We had to start at 6 am and polls closed at 7 pm. We would usually be done by 8 pm. Guess who worked all day and was still going strong at the end. Hank made voting a pleasure for so many people. He always had that huge smile and made people feel welcome. As Rotarians we like to work, laugh, and play together. One day when he was checking in people I started teasing him about being such a big hit with the ladies. We then started to warn the women that there was a real ladies man working with us. I recall one woman coming through that seemed to be somewhat somber. When she got to Hank he looked at her and said, “I've been waiting all day to meet you”. They had a brief conversation and you could tell she felt better for getting to meet him. On another project, clearing brush for Naples Botanical Gardens he was working as hard as those twenty years younger.
The one thing I remember most was his devotion to his family. He was always excited when he was going to visit them or when they would be coming here. He would often mention all the letters and phone calls. One thing he did was make contributions to TRF in honor of family members. A recognition given for contributions to TRF was the Paul Harris Fellow (Paul Harris founded Rotary in 1905). I know that he had contributed enough that most, if not all, of his family had been awarded a PHF.
I, for one, feel blessed to have had Harry Edward “Hank” Schmidt Jr. in my life. When it's my time to leave this life I know one person that I will be looking forward to greeting me.

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