Tri-County News

Roland Schmidt, 80


Roland Schmidt of Watkins died Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2018, at Hilltop Health Care Center in Watkins. He was 80.

Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 14, at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church. Burial will be in St. Anthony Catholic Cemetery. Visitation will be from 4-7 p.m. Monday with parish prayers at 7 p.m., at Ertl Funeral Home in Watkins.

Roland David Schmidt was born Oct. 26, 1937, in Minneapolis to Ewald and Minnie Schmidt. He served proudly in the USAF 1954-1958 as a jet mechanic in Las Vegas, Nev. He was involved in a serious motorcycle accident during that time, spending a year in the hospital. Later in life he had a variety of jobs, most important to him was being owner-operator of his own business at S&S Steel Roof Decking. Roland’s last job was as truck driver/delivery person for Brown Photo-Blacks Photography; it was there he got the name “candy man” for his never-ending supply of safety suckers. He also enjoyed working with local youth. He was a member of IMPACT at the Eden Valley-Watkins Schools and served as a mentor for nine years. Roland was a member of Watkins American Legion Post #453 and DAV Hutchinson #37. He enjoyed visiting with friends in Watkins and his buddies at the lake at Island View Resort in Richmond, putting a lot of miles on his golf cart there.

Roland was preceded in death by his parents Ewald and Minnie Schmidt; sisters Allene, Lorraine, Lois, Judy, and Fern; and brothers Lyle, Curtis and Robert.

He is survived by his wife Gloria; children Randy (and Sue) Schmidt, Roger (and Annie) Schmidt, Carl Schmidt, Wayne Schmidt, Rodrick (and Stacy) Schmidt, Gary (and Diana) Borchardt, Larry (and Marcia) Borchardt, Fran (and Mark) Rojas, Ken (and Cynthia) Borchardt,  Linda (and Dave) Lamb; sister Marrian Borgstahl; 21 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren; and pet dog “Cookie.”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *