Eugene Gene Schmidt

Eugene Schmidt, 71, Bismarck, died September 23, 2011, at St. Alexius Medical Center, Bismarck. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:30 am Tuesday, September 27, at Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, 519 Raymond St, Bismarck. Burial will be in the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery, Mandan. Visitation will be held from 3:30 pm-8:00 pm Monday, September 26, at Parkway Funeral Service, 2330 Tyler Parkway, Bismarck, where a rosary/vigil will begin at 7:00 pm. Visitation will continue one hour prior to the service at the church. Eugene was born on the family farm in Kintyre, ND, on March 23, 1940. The youngest of eight children, he attended school and graduated from Braddock High School in 1958. Eugene enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1958 and was honorably discharged in 1962. He married the love of his life, Rita Elter on October 23, 1962, and raised four sons in Bismarck. Eugene started work as an apprentice plumber, he made journeyman plumber and worked for H.A. Thompson's & Sons for 48 years. He was appointed to the State Plumbing Board in 1998 by Gov. Ed Schafer and again by Gov. John Hoven in 2010. He served on the board for a total of 12 years. Gene always had a joke at the ready and he would never turn down a game of pinochle. He loved life to the fullest. He took great pride in his garden, and spent most nights sitting in his backyard watching his fountain. Gene enjoyed the times taking his boys out fishing after work and he loved wrestling with his grandkids. He will be deeply missed by all the lives he touched. Gene is survived by his wife of 48 years, Rita, Bismarck; his sons, Michael Donna, Bismarck, Steven, Atlanta, GA, Joseph and Thomas Carissa, all of Bismarck; his five grandchildren, Alexander, Luke, Abigail, Morgan and Zachary; two step-granddaughters, Amanda Stacy Kadrmas and Sarah Dustin Kautzman; two step great-grandchildren, Ashlynn and Ellanore; his sister, Theresia Neigum; his brothers, John Phyllis Schmidt, Andrew Joan Schmidt and Peter Marie Schmidt; and numerous brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law. He was preceded in death by his father, Michael J. Schmidt; his mother, Genevieve Goldade Schmidt; his step-mother, Catherine Elter Schmidt; sister, Lorraine Kieffer and his brothers, Anthony and Steve Schmidt.

Eugene Gene Schmidt

March 23, 1940 - September 23, 2011