Schmidt Sr., Eugene J. Eugene J. Schmidt Sr., of Port Saint Lucie, Fl, formerly of Grand Rapids, passed away at home Saturday, December 21, 2013, just 5 days after his 95th birthday. He was preceded in death by his wife of 66 years, Eleanor L. Schmidt (Spade), whom he married April 14, 1941 in Grand Rapids, his parents, Frank Peter Schmidt and Georgianna Schmidt (Turcott), all his brothers and sisters, Fred, Joseph, Robert, Bernie, Geraldine and Dorothy. He is survived by three sons, Eugene J. Jr. (Jan) Schmidt of Wyoming, MI, Karl Frederic (Jan) Schmidt of Columbia, SC, Stephen Donald (Judy) Schmidt of Bristol, TN; four daughters, Donna Lynn (Steve) Gerhard of Beaumont, TX, Jacquelyn Jean (Jeff) Scanlan of Genoa City, WI, Theresa Lou (Mark) Thomas of El Cajon, CA, Eleanor Louise (Tevis Jr.) Maloney of Mesa, AZ; 15 grandchildren; 22 great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. He was born December 16, 1918 in Grand Rapids, MI, graduated from Catholic Central High School. He had been a resident of Port Saint Lucie, Florida for 35 years, residing in the Chicago area for 14 years after leaving the Grand Rapids area in 1965. He served in the National Guard, 126th Infantry, 32nd Red Arrow Division in Grand Rapids from Sept. 1936 until Oct. 15, 1940, when the unit was federalized for service during WWII. He then served a further 5 years with the division during WWII, 31 months in the SW Pacific New Guinea Area, with 654 days of combat, being discharged July, 1945 with the rank of First Sergeant. He worked at General Motors and in the food industry for Meijers and Eberhards grocery until taking a job with Kerr Glass Co. as sales rep and regional manager for the Michigan/Indiana/Illinois area, retiring in 1979. He and his wife served in the volunteer ambulance service for 7 years and the Coast Guard Auxiliary in Port Saint Lucie. An interment ceremony will take place at Resurrection Cemetery Chapel, 4100 Clyde Park SW, Wyoming at 10:30am, Saturday, April 26, with Fr. Phil Shangraw presiding and military honors by the U.S. Army Honor Guard. A reception will follow the service. In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans, 3000 Monroe Ave, Grand Rapids, MI 49505.