Herman Arnold Schmidt

Herman Arnold Schmidt was called home by his Lord and Savior on October 24, 2019.  He passed away peacefully in his sleep at his residence in Anaheim, CA after 75 full years of life. 

Herman Arnold Schmidt was born on July 9, 1944 in Palatine, Illinois to proud parents, Herman and Helen Schmidt, and sister, Betty.   The son of an electrician, as a boy he enjoyed tinkering with electronics and building his model railroad.   This led him to enroll in the Illinois Institute of Technology, where he made his father proud by becoming the first in his family to earn not one but two college degrees, a Bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering and Master’s in Business. Upon graduation in 1967, he married his college sweetheart, Kathryne Moore. Eager to start their life together, be close to the water, and start a job in the aerospace industry, they relocated to Southern California.   Herman was so passionate about protecting our nation that he stayed at that first employer (Rockwell/Boeing) his entire 36-year career.  He was responsible for managing large defense projects, which suited him well as he excelled at telling people what to do.  He was so proud to be part of the Minuteman Missile and B-1 Bomber programs!

However, Herman’s greatest pride and joy was his family.  Herman is survived by six children: Tiffany, Darren, Justin, Christopher, Brandon, and Heather, as well as five grandchildren: Lauren, Ashleigh, Caleb, Brandon Jr., and Brielle, who affectionately know him as Big Grandpa.   He loved spending time with all of them over the years: working on school projects, building remote control cars, and his favorite, loading up the van every summer and trying to beat his personal drive time record to his parents’ farm in Minnesota. His love for his family was evidenced by the stories he told about his parents, his kids and grandkids. He was so proud of their accomplishments and more importantly, who they became as people.

Herman made sure his family was provided for, and when space became limited he began a several year project of adding a second story to their home.  While working his full time job during the week, he spent weekends doing construction, with his boys often following after him.  We remember fondly the day he called for help when he nailed his finger to a board!

Herman’s favorite pastime was sailing his Cal 21 sailboat, Bottom’s Up, out of Dana Point Harbor for 40 years.  While most sailors motored out of the harbor, Herman always insisted on raising the sails on the dock and tacking up the channel.  He loved making meticulous adjustments to maximize the wind and enjoyed teaching his kids these finer points of sailing. A sail wouldn’t be complete without a trip around the seal buoy and a stop at the Wind and Sea to retell the day’s adventure over a good meal. 

Above all, Herman was a follower of Christ.  He was a devoted member of Hephatha Lutheran Church for 30+ years, where he served numerous terms as Head Elder, was passionate about singing in the choir, and could be seen and heard standing in the back of the church greeting others and praising his Savior every week.  He was a strong supporter of Lutheran Social Services and helped start the annual walk-a-thon fundraiser, “encouraging” others to join in.  His faith was demonstrated in the kindness he showed to those in need and his joyful disposition.  He instilled in all of his children this seed of faith, a gift for which we are grateful. 

He will be remembered for his love of Christ, his booming laugh, his gift of storytelling, his exuberant singing in church, his ability to fix anything, his habit of taking copious photos after saying “fuzzy pickles”, and his love for Diet Pepsi and dessert - but not the nuts because “they’re fattening”! 

As he would say, With “SONshine Always”….

In Lieu of Flowers, please consider making a donation to Lutheran Social Services in Herman's honor via the link below:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/Herman-A-Schmidt

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