Born to Clifford and Mildred Schmieg, Joel grew up on a farm in Howard Lake, Minnesota. He and his twin sister, Jan, had 2 older brothers, Roger and Wayne. From a very young age, he worked hard to help his family manage the fields and livestock. It was a 24/7, 365 day a year job that taught him a diligent work ethic early on in his life. He graduated salutatorian from Howard Lake High School and Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and Mathematics from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota.
In his late 20s, his job with ExxonMobil moved him to Houston area with Linda and their 2 daughters, Jessica and Melissa. He loved spending time with his kids, working with the local community theater, Mel Brooks movie nights, reading the newspaper every day, and was a talented photographer.
During his career for ExxonMobil, Joel became an expert on additives, experimental design, and statistics. He earned many impactful patents throughout his career. He was always enthusiastic to share his hard-earned knowledge with his colleagues. One of his colleagues once commented, “If you ask Joel for the time, he will teach you how to make a watch!”
Joel met Sue through his work and they married in Hawaii in 2009. In their retirement, Joel and Sue were world travelers. They visited many countries around the world including Italy, Argentina, Chile, Spain, Portugal, China, Turkey, Russia, UK, Iceland, Denmark, Norway, Taiwan, and many others. He was most impressed by the Taroko National Park in Taiwan, the Amazon River, Iguazu Falls, the Galapagos Islands, Machu Picchu, the Samba Parade, Rio Carnival, and many national parks in the States. They worked together building their new home in Sugar Land and enjoyed tending their gardens.
Joel was a wonderful husband, a loving father and grandfather, a caring brother and uncle, a considerate and generous friend, and a man of integrity and honesty.
He always said that he was so blessed to have such a wonderful family and so many loving friends all over the world. During his illness, he counted his blessings and thanked God every single day until the day he passed. Even at the time of his passing, he had a smile on his face.
Joel is survived by wife and love of his life Sue; daughter Jessica and husband Austin Walt Skaggs; daughter Melissa and husband Duncan Hunter; stepson Roland Wu; stepdaughter Kelly Wu and husband Ryan Dumas; grandchildren Samantha Skaggs, Charlie Skaggs, Remy Wu, Allene Wu, Lucy and Amy Hunter; sister Jan Sawatzke; brother Roger and wife Patricia Schmieg; brother Wayne and wife Denise Schmieg; niece Tamara Sawatzke; nephews Jeffrey Schmieg, Scott Schmieg and Eric Sawatzke; former spouse and friend Linda Collins; and many loving family members and friends. Joel was preceded in death by his parents, Clifford and Mildred Schmieg; and by his brother-in-law Dick Sawatzke.
A visitation is scheduled for Thursday, November 1st, 5-8pm and a memorial service is scheduled for Friday, November 2nd, 10am at Memorial Oaks Funeral Home in Houston, Texas.
