Jonathan Schmidt

Jonathan “Jon” Wesley Schmidt, 38, of Bondurant, formerly of Marshalltown, died Saturday, May 9, 2020.  Funeral services will be held Saturday, May 16 at 1:30 PM at Mitchell Funeral Home. People attending are encouraged to wear masks and practice social distancing. A private burial will take place at a later date. Arrangements for Jonathan have been entrusted to Mitchell Family Funeral Home. For additional information or to share a memory or condolences, please visit www.mitchellfh.com or phone 641-844-1234. Memorials can be directed to the family, in care of Mitchell Funeral Home, 1209 Iowa Ave W, Marshalltown, IA 50158. Jonathan was born September 10, 1981 to Wava Sue (Schmidt) Bastarache in Iowa City. He graduated from Marshalltown High School in 2000. He was currently employed by Firestone in Des Moines as an electrician. Jonathan had a natural talent for taking things apart to see how they worked: clocks, radios, toasters, etc. For many years his mother, and his grandpa, Delbert, would have to put these items back together.Eventually, Jonathan learned how to do this himself. In high school, he took classes that introduced students to many different hands-on career choices. The one that caught and held his attention involved assembling a light bulb, a socket, 3 wires and a light switch. He had a natural instinct as to how to connect these pieces and did so successfully. He could not understand why others were having difficulty, and he was thrilled and chose to begin classes to become an electrician directly out of high school. Shortly after he became an apprentice, and many classes later became a licensed Journeyman Class A Electrician. His first job, as an apprentice, involved hanging the Christmas lights on the trees surrounding the Marshall County Courthouse.  He and another employee were so proud and pleased to have successfully completed the task. Unfortunately, his supervisors, and the public in general, were not happy. You see, the lights were not hung horizontally around the tree as is traditional, but vertically. It was the talk of the town, and the last time these two hung Christmas lights anywhere!In Jonathan’s early years, he loved spending time with family, and he was a helpful child. He liked feeding the ducks at cemeteries and going grocery shopping. Stories have been told of carrying a gallon of milk into the house, one foot at a time:  lift, move one foot closer to the house, set it down, rest, and start the process all over again. This was true of many heavy objects, including a bowling ball. Jonathan loved to go camping, fishing, grilling, and hanging out with friends. He liked to shop at Sam’s Club, where he could purchase “lifetime supplies” of just about anything: cleaning supplies, shampoo, laundry detergent, etc. He also enjoyed shopping online at Amazon. He had an affinity to purchase and wear socially unacceptable t-shirts from any source. Jonathan loved going to concerts and music like Green Day and Slipknot.  He also liked Kansas City Chiefs football and The Simpsons. Jonathan is survived by his mother, Wava; and several aunts, uncles and cousins. He was preceded in death by his grandparents, Delbert and Velma (Perry) Schmidt; and his uncle Wayne Schmidt. A combined graveside service will be held for Jonathan and Wava on  Saturday, June 27, 2020 beginning at 11:00 A.M. at the Eden Cemetery in Rhodes, Iowa.