Andrew Joseph Schmitt, 85
Andrew Joseph Schmitt, age 85 of New Hampton, died Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024, at the Tripoli Nursing and Rehab.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024, at Holy Family Parish, New Hampton, with the Rev. James Goerend celebrating the Mass.
Interment will be in Calvary Cemetery, New Hampton.
Friends may greet the family from 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024, at the Hugeback-Johnson Funeral Home & Crematory in New Hampton. Visitation continues an hour prior to Mass at the church on Wednesday.
Andrew was welcomed into the world July 29, 1939, at the tail end of the Great Depression by his parents, Andrew and Laura (Bouska) Schmitt and twp sisters. Being brought in during this tough era was really what shaped him into the man he would become.
He received his education in New Hampton until the eighth grade, when he had to leave to take care of the family farm due to his father falling ill. He began farming full time at the age of 13.
He met his future when he was attending a dance in Little Turkey at the sheep shed where he met Rosemary Wenthold and just a few years later their paths would cross, and they attended a movie together and the rest would be history. Andrew knew what he wanted and asked Rosemary for her hand in marriage and on Sept. 29, 1962, the couple said “I do” and began life together.
Andrew would eventually purchase a farm right across the road from his family farm and he and Rosemary would begin their family and worked side by side tending to the land, milking cows, and sow farrowing. Many animals were cared for on the farm which Andrew took great pride in.
As time went on and the family grew, Andrew moved the family on the home farm where he would spend the rest of his life.
Andrew was very meticulous when it came to planting his fields and you would never find a crooked row. As the season went on, he would be in the fields cultivating, walking fence rows, fixing fence and clearing fence lines. As busy as life gets Andrew milked cows both morning and night, tended to his pigs, making sure things were tip top shape.
As if that wasn’t enough, Andrew donated his time to serve on the Chickasaw County Farm Bureau board of directors and represented the Washington township. Andrew also received many awards for his dairy operation.
His devotion to his faith was impeccable and church was never missed on Sundays with the family all piling in the car for mass.
Andrew became a well-known community member giving his time as a Knights of Columbus member and Iowa pork producers. And he’d meet and greet you with a smile and mean it. When the dairy cows were sold, Andrew found employment at AMPI in Fredericksburg and then onto Beatrice Cheese until his retirement. And farming for Andrew was completed in the fall of 2012.
This gave him and Rosemary time to enjoy life and time to spend with what mattered most to him, his family. The couple would also take many trips to Branson, on warm Caribbean cruises and the ever so important trips to the casino where he’d enjoy the penny machines but be upset when they didn’t pay out as much.
Andrew’s journey in life brought hardships. During the 1980’s farming crisis, Andrew didn’t over buy, he stuck with what he had and made sure to never fall behind. Being raised in the aftereffects of the depression helped shape him into who he was and somehow, he prospered when most were having to sell farms, sell equipment and get town jobs, but not Andrew. He was wise. He was smart.
None of this could’ve been possible without the love and support of Rosemary and the tough times brought them closer. They both made sure the family has just what they needed, and meals were cooked homemade and not store bought.
He came from a time where neighbors helped neighbors and machinery was often shared and a payment was often just a simple handshake. He of course would pay a favor back tenfold, always doing more than expected.
Andrew never met a stranger and if you’d let him, 2 hours would pass by just having a simple talk. He’d always have a smile on his face and being a true gentleman, he’d always hold the door open for anyone. That was just his thing, he was kind, sweet, loving, and caring.
Andrew adored his family, Rosemary was his top priority and when she would be gone for longer than expected, you’d find him checking out the window to see if the car driving by was her. She was his rock, and he wouldn’t have made it very far without her. They are what built the family and showed their children, and grandchildren what unconditional love was all about. The home farm was his place of peace. His pride and joy. It’s where he and the family learned to celebrate out on Kenwood Avenue.
As Andrew completed the circle of life, he’d not want us to be sad and shed tears over him. He’d want us to remember the good times, to be happy, and to chase whatever it is we aspire to be. He’d tell us it’s not a bad life, it’s just a bad moment. That was the beauty of Andrew, always looking at the bright side of things.
He was a true gentleman, a man of stature and strength. Hard working, strong willed, solid faith, the last of a dying breed. You don’t find many like him anymore. We will all miss the moments with him.
Survivors include his wife, Rosemary; son, Joe (Anne) Schmitt of New Hampton; daughters, Judy Oehlert of New Hampton, Paula (Tracey) Ott of Bandera Texas, Cathy (Mike) Stevens of Lawler, and Lisa (Dave) Stevenson of Fredericksburg; 10 grandchildren; and 13 great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents; sisters, Lorraine (Neil) Baumler, Bernice (Cliff) Ohm; son-in-law, Brian Oehlert.
