Ernest James SCHMIDT

1926 - 2019  (92 years)

• Name	Ernest James SCHMIDT
  Birth	19 Apr 1926	North Dakota
  Gender	Male
  Death	2 Feb 2019	Washington
  Notes	Ernest James (E.J.) Schmidt, 92, of Omak, Wash, went home to be with our Lord Feb. 2, 2019. He was born in Gackle, N.D.  April 19, 1926 to Theodore and Emilia Schmidt, the sixth of eleven kids. He arrived in Omak in a caravan of three car loads of family in 1942 on his sixteenth birthday, looking for work opportunities. The weather was so mild they believed they had arrived to the “banana belt”.  E.J. was proud to be the first to get a job in the Copple Orchard.  He graduated from Omak High School class of 1944. He attended two years of college at Eastern Washington College where he served as freshman class president and was manager of the 1945-46 EWC Hall of Fame basketball team. E.J. married Mary Lou Sprowl, Sept. 4, 1948 and raised four children. His career in grocery began in North Dakota with the family store and continued by purchasing East Side Market from his brother Gordon, later E.J.’s Food Center in Omak and working for Shop and Save, Trading Post, Yoke’s, and lastly Okanogan Food Depot. His career as an orchardist began in 1959 when the family moved to their home and pear orchard on the Conconully Hwy.  The whole family worked together to plant more trees and grow beautiful pears.  They expanded with 20 acres of apples, eventually selling to son Mark and retiring to enjoy warm winters with golf and family in Arizona. Dad was a kind, generous, and compassionate man who treated others as he would want to be treated.  He loved to give people endearing nicknames like “pard” or “kid”.  He was a member of Cornerstone Christian Fellowship and Okanogan Valley Golf Course. E.J. enjoyed hunting birds with his brothers and sons and sports of all kinds.  He was an avid golfer, two time club champion and won many bowling trophies. Stop everything to watch the Zags or the Seahawks!  In early days, E.J. acquired a love for camping beginning with the Harriman family at Crawfish Lake.  Camping with grandchildren at Bonaparte was an annual event.  Dad loved family and was proud of his grandchildren; always eager to see what they would accomplish next. E.J.  is survived by his daughter, Lisa (Jeff) Demmitt; sons, Chris (Tina) Schmidt, and Keith (Heidi) Schmidt, all of Omak area; and daughter-in-law, Patti (Steve) Cockfield, Malott, Wash.; six grandchildren, Eric Schmidt, of Bridgeport, Wash., Andrew (Alyssa) Schmidt of Savannah, Ga., Karl Schmidt of Riverside, Calif., Melissa (Yaron) Stern-Avni of Israel, Justin (Debbie) Demmitt of Omak, and Michele (Levi) Johnson of Spokane. Wash.; 3 great-grandsons, Owen Demmitt, Charlie Schmidt and Sa’ar Avni; brothers, Eloyen (Peggy) Schmidt of Puyallup, Wash., and Marlo (Judy) Schmidt of Mukilteo, Wash.; sister-in-law, Ruth Piper of Dryden, Wash.; brother-in-law, Darrell Carlton of Omak; many nieces and nephews; and special friends, Pat and Cliff Klimek; and Mildred Buttrum. E.J. was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Mary Lou; son, Mark; infant twins, Kirk and Alan; brothers, Donavan, Gordon, DeLyle, and Myron; and sisters Viona, Adella, Virginia, and Phyllis.
  Person ID	I472	Don Carlson's Tree
  Last Modified	5 Oct 2021

  
  

  Family	Mary Lou SPROWL,   b. 18 Mar 1927, Washington d. 8 Jul 2005, Omak, Okanogan County, Washington (Age 78 years)
  Marriage	4 Sep 1948	Omak, Okanogan County, Washington
  Children	1. Mark James SCHMIDT,   b. 1 Aug 1951   d. 19 Oct 1991, Omak, Okanogan County, Washington (Age 40 years)   2. Kirk SCHMIDT,   b. 1965   d. 1965 (Age 0 years)   3. Allan SCHMIDT,   b. 1965   d. 1965 (Age 0 years)
  Family ID	F339	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	8 Jul 2011