Carl L. Schmitt

Carl Lee Schmitt, 86, died November 25, 2014 in Chandler, AZ from Alzheimer’s disease. Carl, who led memorable life, suffered from the disease for many years. Originally from New Mexico, Carl spent most of his adult life in southwest Kansas.

He was born on July 26, 1928, at Des Moines, NM, the son of Homer L. and Rosie Schmitt.

Carl is survived by his wife, Diane, of the home; two sons, Michael and his wife, Alana, of Chandler, AZ, and Robert and his wife, Loraine, of Lake Oswego, OR; a daughter, Sue and her husband, Kent, of Princeton, KS; a daughter in law, Maureen, of Scottsdale, AZ; and a brother, Don, and his wife, Maria, of Dallas TX. His is also survived by six grandchildren: Ryan and Erin Schmitt; Nathan and Chelsea Schmitt; and Clint and Karly Schulte.

He was preceded in death by his parents and sister, Norma.

Carl was raised in Northeastern New Mexico during the Dust Bowl, the Great Depression, and World War II. He attended school in Des Moines, N.M. He spent a few years working as a cowboy on Ed Thompson’s Ranch, and then later worked for Colorado Interstate Gas Co. He was drafted in 1950 and served in the US Army as a Sergeant First Class in the Korean Conflict, where he specialized in radar operations. Carl returned home and resumed his position with Colorado Interstate Gas Company. Shortly after his discharge from the Army, he met Lynn Diane Nicholson, and they were married at Raton, N.M. in 1952.

He continued working for CIG in New Mexico, while pursuing his love of ranching and horses in his spare time. He was transferred to the CIG plant in Lakin, KS in 1963. In 1964, Carl, Diane and their family bought a ranch west of Lakin where they lived and raised quarter horses, a cow-calf herd and alfalfa.

Carl and Diane shared a love for horses. They bred and raced their own horses at quarter horse race tracks in New Mexico and Colorado. After moving to Kansas, the sale of his best race horse, Mr. Bay Bar, helped the family purchase their ranch. They continued the bloodline by breeding their mare to the stallion.

He did not attend college, but he was deeply interested in politics, finance, current affairs and education, and he continued to educate himself throughout his life. He was active in his community and served as president of the Lakin School Board.

Although, his primary interests were his family, his ranch, and his horse, he also enjoyed going to dances and playing bridge with friends.

Diane wrote, “Carl battled a lot of things in his life. As a cowboy in New Mexico and a rancher in Kansas, he battled ornery broncs and stubborn cows. As a soldier in Korea, he battled other soldiers who were shooting mortars at his troops. As my husband, he often had to battle me. (He usually won those battles.) With Alzheimer’s, Carl found a battle that he could not even fight.” Because Carl did not want his or anyone else’s loved ones to suffer through this disease, the family requests, in lieu of flowers, donations to the Alzheimer’s Association be made in Carl’s name at www.alz.org.

A memorial service and burial will occur at 1PM December 5, at Valley of the Sun Mortuary in Chandler, AZ. The Schmitt family will hold a celebration of his life at a later date.