Richard Karl Schmitt

Richard Karl Schmitt, 80, died February 10, 2026, at home in Cartersville, GA. Richard was born on October 5, 1945. A native of Brooklyn, NY, he lived in Tallahassee, FL, from 1972 until 2014. In 2014, he moved to Cartersville, GA, to live near family.

Richard graduated from the University of Dayton in 1967 with a Bachelor’s degree in Physics and Mathematics, and went on to attend SUNY at Albany to earn a Master’s degree in Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology in 1970. He later earned an MBA from the Florida State University in 1994.

Richard had a broad, interesting career. Originally aspiring to be a meteorologist, he pursued PhD studies in Meteorology. Instead, he left school to support his growing family and joined NCR. There he developed, programmed, and installed point-of-sale systems all around Northern and Central Florida. He worked on systems for the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, as well as numerous local banks and financial intuitions. Later, he worked for the State of Florida and applied his computer and programming skills for multiple departments until his retirement in 2009.

Richard enjoyed fishing, especially bass fishing with his kids and grandkids at Walt Disney World. He also enjoyed operating his extensive Lionel train system. He mixed his love for the scientific with his hobbies. For instance, he would analyze mathematical functions for optimal Lionel track configurations. One of his favorite things was listening to his grandchildren laugh, and he would start laughing with them.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Elizabeth and Karl Schmitt, his former wife of 32 years, Inez “Meg” Schmitt (mother of his children), his brother, Daniel Schmitt, and his son, Christopher Schmitt.

He is survived by his wife of 24 years, Sara Schmitt of Cartersville, GA; his two sons, Paul (Teri) Schmitt of Merrimack, NH, and David (Margot) Schmitt of Oviedo, FL; and daughter, Tiffany (Brian) Gokey of Cartersville, GA. His stepdaughters Melissa Hurst of Austin, TX, and Jessica (Mark) Alvarez of Tampa, FL. He is also survived by his grandchildren: Nick, Elisabeth, Matthew, Mary, Michael, and Cecelia Schmitt; Ryan, Megan, and Meredith Schmitt; Gianna, Lillian, Robert, and Natalie Gokey; and Rogan and Jameson Alvarez.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to: Catholic Relief Services or Heifer International.