Peter J. Schmidt

Peter J. Schmidt of Wentzville, MO, passed away Wednesday, December 9, 2020 at the age of 78. Loving husband of Shirley Schmidt (nee Licklider); beloved son of the late Hugo and Wanda Schmidt; dear father of Heidi (Earl) Miller, Karin (Bill) Stawiarski, and Mark (Stephanie) Schmidt; stepfather of Tim (Kim) Obenhaus, Jill (Jason) College, and the late Paul Obenhaus; father-in-law of Leslie Obenhaus; dearest grandfather of Amanda Obenhaus, Dillon Stawiarski, Kyle Stawiarski, Tyler Schmidt, Caitlyn Schmidt, Grace Obenhaus, Samuel Obenhaus, Joshua Obenhaus, Sara Obenhaus, Hope Obenhaus, Holly Obenhaus, Jackson College, EllyRose College, Oliver College, and the late Evan Obenhaus; great-grandfather of Leona Obenhaus; uncle of Ronald (Janet) Arden and Scott (Susan) Arden; brother-in-law of Gerda Schmidt. Peter was also preceded in death by his sister, Eleanor (Fred) Arden and brother, Waldemar Schmidt.

Peter J. Schmidt was born in Germany during the war, where his family fled to from Poland. He enjoyed going to grade school and learning English. Once his parents obtained a visa they moved to Brooklyn, New York. There were many that crossed Ellis Island, and at the age of 13 Peter became a little frustrated about translating for his parents to English. Peter went to Baruch high school, and he was very active in school and made friends easily.  He then went to City College in New York and received his bachelor’s in Business Administration in marketing, advertising and international trade.

Peter was very active in the ROTC and proudly served in the U.S. Army.  During his military service he received a regular Army Officer’s commission.  He was honorably discharged with the rank of Captain. He went through leadership training, special assignment training, including airborne qualification, Hand-to-hand training and superior marksmanship, as well as Ranger training.

He moved around a lot during his first marriage, from New Jersey and Georgia, then settled in Florissant, MO.  He had three children, Heidi, Karin, and Mark.

Shirley met peter on a blind dated in January 1991. In his younger days he liked woodworking and building things. He finished his basement with a lot of wood design with a nice bar in it, which he was very proud. Peter was crafty in many things. He was a true German and loved to save everything and fix anything that was broken. He enjoyed gardening, jewelry making, and stained glass.  Peter also loved reading especially Sci-Fi and Mysteries.

In 2007 Peter and Shirly bought an RV and loved traveling the United States. They visited 48 states together and made many new friends across the country.

Peter was grandmaster, twice, in the Mason’s Warrenton Lodge. He was also a member of the Royal Arch, Cryptic Counsel, Knights Templar, and Scottish Right.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Peter's name to Licklider Cemetery or Warrenton Mason Lodge (Mail to Baue 311 Wood St., O’Fallon, MO 63366).

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