Floyd Elmer Schmidt

Floyd E. Schmidt 63, beloved son, brother, uncle, and friend died at Birch Hill Health Center surrounded by family on Tuesday morning September 3, 2024.

He was born on December 10, 1960, in Appleton, WI, the son of Elmer L. Schmidt and Beverly A. (Wild) Schmidt. Floyd was raised on a dairy farm in Bonduel, WI and attended Bonduel High School.

As a young man, he worked on the farm of Robert and Doris Spates in Landstad, WI. There, he learned to drive straight trucks and semi-trailers. Floyd hauled hay from the farm to several western states from the age of 18 to 21. When Floyd was twenty-two, he went to work for the Tip Top Carnival shows as a ride operator and in the winters, he traveled to Chicago to sell Christmas trees. Floyd lived above the Old Plow Shop in Landsted, WI until age 26, when he purchased a home on Lake drive in Shawano. He later purchased a home in Gresham, WI.

Floyd obtained his commercial driver’s license and began driving semi-trailers for several commercial carriers across the country. He was also a local hit in the Shawano Racetrack’s demolition derby driving a 1970’s brown station wagon named “Pink Floyd”.

Floyd eventually sold his Gresham home and moved to Cherry Road in Birnamwood, WI. In 2008, he purchased his own big rig and became an independent owner/operator, pulling several different trailer types. Floyd drove semi until he suffered a major heart attack in 2016. In September 2018, Floyd suffered a major stroke that damaged his brain stem and left him with left side paralysis. After his stroke Floyd resided briefly at Maple Lane Health Services, before moving to Birch Hill Health Services where he resided for the past 6 years.

Floyd loved the outdoors and was an avid hunter, angler, and gardener. He enjoyed target practicing, shooting birds, racoon, deer, and bears. Further, he liked ice fishing, spearing white suckers, and making maple syrup with his elderly neighbor Fritz Bartelt. He landed his first job outside the farm at age 12 carrying sap for Fritz in the springtime.

Floyd raised many types of animals in his lifetime, horses, cows, calves, ducks, chickens, geese, rabbits, a pot belly pig and two different pure-bred wolves. Floyd had German Shepards, April and Smokey who were constant companions in his semi or Dodge pick-up truck.

Floyd’s best days were spent outdoors with his dogs, camping, fishing, drinking cold beer, and swimming in a local lake or gravel pit.

He will be missed by those who survive him, including: his mother Beverly, Appleton; siblings: Janice (Greg) Ahlstrom, Eagan, MN; Mary Weisnicht, Seymour; Kevin Schmidt, Antigo; Keith (Evelyn) Schmidt, Antigo; and Lisa Schmidt, Kaukauna; nieces and nephews: Hans, Erik, Tucker, Daniel, Cody, Jacob, Abigail, Elizabeth, Sarah, Nora, Samuel, Ruth, Melissa, Dylan and Emily; and great nieces and nephews Jayden, Julian, Abrielle, Jack, Grace, Benjamin, Gideon, Braylynn and Jeremiah.

He is further survived by his aunts and uncles: Audrey (Roger) Meulemans, Kaukauna; Debbie (Harlin) Klinge, Kaukauna; and Dennis (Julie) Schmidt, Appleton; Carol Wild, Appleton; Donna (Jerry) Pietz, Birnamwood; Joan (Gary) Tatro, Phlox; Patricia Boehnlein, Antigo; Randy (Marie) Fleischman, Deerbrook; Robert Wild, Marshfield;  and Terrance Wild, Antigo along with many first and second cousins.

He was preceded in death by his father: Elmer Lawrence Schmidt, grandparents; Lawrence Schmidt and  Bertha (Sippl) Schmidt and Albert and Christine (Zimmerman) Wild, uncles: Fred Schmidt, Carl Schmidt, Roger Bricco, Allen Wild, Greg Boehnlein, Gary Fleischman, and Melvin Fleischman, aunts: Marilyn Schmidt and Regina Bricco.

A mass of Christian burial will be held at 11:00 am on Thursday, September 12, 2024, at St. John Nepomucene Catholic Church 411 Vandenbroek Street, Little Chute, WI. Fr. Ronald Belitz will officiate. Visitation will be held at St John’s Church from 9:30 am until the time of the funeral mass at 11:00 am. Following the mass, lunch will be served at the church. The burial will take place in the Holy Spirit Parish Cemetery in Kimberly.

The Verkuilen Van Deurzen Family Funeral Home of Little Chute, WI is grateful to be assisting the family with funeral arrangements. The family would like to thank the staff of the Birch Hill Health Center and ThedaCare Hospice for the care they provided for Floyd. For online condolences, please visit https://www.verkuilenfh.com.