Frederick Roland Schmidt
July 2, 1936 - December 4, 2015
Obituary
Frederick Roland Schmidt was born on July 2, 1936 in New York, NY to Frederic and Lena Mae Schmidt. He passed away at the age of 79 in Seattle, WA on December 4, 2015.
Roland spent his early childhood in New York and moved to Midland, MI at the age of 9. He was a tenacious young man who enjoyed baseball, hockey, skiing, hunting and all things outdoors. He graduated high school in 1954 and then attended Michigan Tech where he obtained his BS in Civil Engineering. In 1957, he met Marvel Rae Pragatz and in April of 1959 they were married. That same year, Roland enlisted in the US Navy as an officer and started flight training. He went on 2 tours on the USS Ticonderoga flying A-4 jets. During his service, Roland and Marvel moved around the US and finally settled in Federal Way, WA where Roland retired from the military and started flying commercially for United Airlines. During their 27 years of marriage, they raised 4 children and spent time skiing, fishing, camping, swimming and travelling.
In August 1986, Roland and Marinell were married in Fort Worth, TX and, shortly thereafter, they moved to Issaquah, Washington. One of their common passions was traveling. Their travels included boating, camping, ski trips and visiting their many friends and family all over the US while also travelling to various international destinations. They lived in Issaquah for 26 years before moving to Southlake, Texas in the summer of 2013. Marinell passed away in April of 2015.
Roland volunteered for the USO and the Puget Sound Blood Center for many years and was passionate about America, the Republican party, Starbucks, the stock market, aviation, baseball and most of all, his family.
Roland is survived by his children Cynthia (Frederic) Schmidt-Rouviere, Tamela Schmidt, Rick (Jo Ann) Schmidt, Barry (Hyonah) Schmidt, Lori (Marc) Graef, and Vicki (John) Adams as well as by his grandchildren Sean Lai, Daltrey Schmidt, Anchul Schmidt, Annabelle Schmidt, Alice Schmidt, Eric Harrington, Jeff Harrington, Travis Harrington, Amanda (Chris) Brown, Jessica Adams, and John Adams III and great grandchildren Kayla Brown and Everly Brown.
In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully requests donations to the USO. www.uso.org
Services will be held at Bonney Watson in Federal Way: 1535 SW Dash Point Rd, Federal Way, WA 98023 on Thursday, December 17th at 11am. Reception to follow immediately after.
Our deepest sympathy. We will miss seeing Roland at our special occasions.
Holly and Nick
Fran and I are so sorry for the loss of Roland. We met him four times are were so impressed with his genuine friendliness and warm personality. His sense of humor was special. We know how much Vicki and all his family loved him. May God bless
We miss Roland’s warm friendship and sense of humor. There is an empty place at Watermere.
Blessings and warm memories to all the family.
I regret that I will not be able to attend the funeral services in Seattle due to family health issues.
I will miss Roland, along with all who knew and loved him. He was an exceptional person, but kept quiet about it!
The twists of fate between my sister and Roland took a long time to their eventual marriage in 1985–I hope I have this right, as they married about the same time that I married my wife, Skyler.
This tale began with Roland going off to college a year before Marinell during which time there was apparently little or no communication. They both married someone else, but 25 years later, they managed to reconnect, thanks to my mother relenting to Roland’s inquiries as to where she was.
I deeply miss Roland; I cannot think of my sister without thinking of him as well, they were an enduring couple.
His sudden death was both a shock and not a shock, as I began to realize how deeply they were bonded.
My love and support goes out to all who grieve for him.
Friendship with Roland started in 1954 and strengthened though the years. We will miss him as he has been a true friend throughout. Memories solidly remain.
Out thoughts are with the families of Roland.
Rest in peace.
John and Janet
For the loss of your beloved father our warmwstcondolences.
Nikos ,katerini ,Tommy ,Gerasimos ,Effie,Lilla.
We are glad to have known him over the years. He always had some wisdom to share and a sense of humor. I feel blessed to have talked to him recently and so happy he was able to meet his youngest granddaughter Alice. Roland catching freshies in the sky. Peace be with you my friend.
My condolences to everyone who knew Roland. I didn’t know him well but I know he was a special person to Marinell and probably to many other people. Peace be with you all in this difficult time.
My deepest sympathy at the loss of Roland. My thoughts and prayers are with the Schmidt family.
I wish I could be there today. I always enjoyed Roland’s quick wit. I can only imagine what Marinell is saying right now- probably good-naturedly shaking her head with a smile.
Love and hugs to you all.
Roland will be missed greatly as he added so much to our extended family. Always there, always pleasant , always loved. Watch down on us and keep us in line.
Love Sherri
I send my deepest condolences and warmest wishes to the entire family. My first cousin, Marinell was a beautiful and charming woman who married a partner who gave her much joy——-easy to see. I was so glad to know both of them and especially blessed to meet Roland again on a brief visit to Texas last June. His smile and wit were enduring, but I think that he missed his Marinell too much———- May you all find peace in the memory of their joyous life together.
Roland, you will live in our hearts ans minds forever. I will miss all the great meals we had I will miss you walking in he back do ok ans saying “. Hi. Kid “. A finer man lived. Rest in peace Roland We. All. Loved. You. So. Very. Much..
John and Pat. Adams
Roland made people feel special by simply being interested in them and their lives. We will miss him.
Roland will be missed
Thinking of all of you and remembering Rick with appreciation for the many times we spent at his home..loved watching his home movies of his adept aircraft carrier night landings! Go with God, Rick! You will be sorely missed!
We sure miss Roland’s vibrant humor at Watermere. He and Marinell are both missed by many..
Warm thoughts and prayers to the family.
I recently learned of Rick’s passing and send my condolences to all of his family and friends. We were squadron mates and friends in VA-56, NAS Lemoore, CA and USS Ticonderoga (CVA-14).