Walter Schmidt, age 88, of Kenosha passed away on Wednesday, August 2, 2017.

He was born on June 3, 1929 in Zeppenfeld Kreis Siegen – Westphalia, Germany the son of the late Ewald and Frieda (nee: Pauschert) Schmidt. He received his education in his native country, after which time he worked for 8 years as a compositor in a printing establishment.

In 1951, he immigrated to America, landing in Baltimore, MD on the 13th, and arriving in Kenosha on the 15th of December. Except for a stint in the US Army from July, 1953 until June of 1955, he chose Kenosha as his new home.

On June 20, 1953, he married his fiancée, Elsbeth Hassmann, who was also from Germany, and a very recent immigrant.

Walter, in this country, worked in succession at Vincent McCall for three years; Peter Pirsch for thirty years, and M & I Shops in Union Grove for 3 years. He was an avid reader, with the emphasis on ancient Roman and Greek History: in summer interspersed with the soothing indulgence of gardening.

Surviving include his son, Michael; a granddaughter, Melissa Ann Schmidt; a sister, Ruth Weisenborn; a nephew, Ernest Weisenborn, both of Germany; and nephews and a niece through marriage, also of Germany.

Walter was preceded in death by his parents in Germany in 1971 and 1980, respectively; a son, Christoph Bernd in 1983; his beloved wife of 54 years, Elsbeth, in January of 2007, and his brother, Ernest, of Germany, also in 2007.

They are not long, the days of wine and roses: Out of a misty dream our path emerges for a while, then closes within a dream.

Service Info

Funeral services honoring the life of Walter will be held on Tuesday, August 8, 2017 at 10:00 a.m. at the Piasecki-Althaus Funeral Home, 3720 39th Ave., Kenosha, WI. Interment will follow in Green Ridge Cemetery.