Spc. Ronald A. 'Ronnie' Schmidt
Spc. Ronald A 'Ronnie'
Schmidt Spc. Ronald A. 'Ronnie' Schmidt, 18, Army National Guard specialist,
died Sunday (Aug. 3, 2008) while serving in Iraq. Ronnie was born in Newton and
moved as a small child to Eureka. While growing up, he was always following
close behind his grandfather, Fritz. The two were the best of friends. When he
was 10 years old in the year 2000, he lost his grandfather. At the age of 12,
he lost his father, Brian. That year, he moved to Newton and and attended Santa
Fe Middle School and graduated in 2007 from Newton High School.
Ronnie was a strong young man
who loved a challenge and wanted to be the best at whatever he was competing
in. He lettered in wrestling all four years of high school. He loved to go
trail riding in the mountains of Colorado with his uncle, Paul, and loved to
work on his car with his very good friend, Larry Nuehring.
During his senior year, he
joined the Army National Guard and became a 'M' day soldier. After high school
graduation, he went to basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., followed
immediately by AIT training in Fort Sill, Okla. On the last day of his AIT
training, he was informed that he would be attending readiness training at Fort
Bliss, Texas.
The following January, he was
deployed to Iraq and was stationed at Camp Ashraf and was a gunner in the alpha
Humvee running routes for IED's.
Ronnie was a brave, dedicated
and determined soldier. This young hero was loved and will truly be missed. God
bless our hero.
He was preceded in death by
father, Brian Schmidt; grandparents, Alfred 'Fritz' Schmidt, Betty Schmidt,
Beatrice Serrato, and Raymond Salas Jr.
Survivors include his mother,
Andrea Schmidt of Newton; aunts and uncles, Paul and Laura Schmidt of Goddard,
Mark Schmidt of Hastings, Mich.; and two half-brothers.
Visitation with the family
will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Downing & Lahey Mortuary West in
Wichita and 9 to 10 a.m. Wednesday at Grace Community Church in Newton.
Services are at 10 a.m.
Wednesday at Grace Community Church. The procession will leave the church at
noon, en route to Greenwood Cemetery in Eureka. The procession should arrive at
the cemetery at approximately 1:30 p.m.
A memorial is established
with USD 373, for the 'Ronnie Schmidt Wrestling Memorial Fund,' c/o Newton High
School, 900 W. 12th, Newton, KS 67114. Tributes may be sent to the family via
www.dlwichita.com.
