Velma Schmidt

Velma Schmidt, longtime Rhodes area resident, most recently of Des Moines, died Wednesday evening, May 13th, at the Bright Kavanaugh Hospice House in Des Moines at the age of 92 years, 11 months and 23 days. Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Monday, May 18th, at the Rhodes United Methodist Church with Pastor Brent De Silva officiating. She will be laid to rest in the Eden Cemetery at Rhodes. Visitation will be held from 2-5:00 p.m. Sunday at the Mitchell Family Funeral Home West Marshall Chapel, 104 West Main Street in State Center. For condolences, please visit www.mitchellfh.com. The Mitchell Family Funeral Home West Marshall Chapel is caring for Mrs. Schmidt and her family. Ph 641-483-2900. Born Velma Perry on June 5th, 1916, near Baxter in rural Marshall County (now the east side of the Harvester Golf Course), she was the daughter of Oscar and Laura (Hennaman) Perry. She attended rural schools and graduated from the Baxter High School in 1933. On August 23rd, 1947, she was united in marriage to Delbert Wesley Schmidt at the Little Brown Church. They farmed near Rhodes/State Center all of their married lives. Mrs. Schmidt was an active member of the Rhodes United Methodist Church- serving on the UMW and funeral lunches; Rebecca Circle, the Federated Garden Club of Iowa, Laurel Garden Club, Marshalltown Flower Arrangers Guild. Velma was a flower show judge, landscape critic, garden consultant and charter member of KAITO one of eight members in Iowa. She was also a charter member of the ODO Club at Baxter (founded in 1933). Velma treasured her family and enjoyed quilting, making tea-rings for church sales, cooking and making homemade bread, and working with Delbert in every aspect of farming from bookkeeping to fence mending to bailing hay. Left to treasure her memory are her children: Wanda Kay Schmidt of Altoona, Wendell Dale (Mary) Schmidt of State Center, Wilma Marie (the late Carl) Albee of West Des Moines, Wava Sue Bastarache of Des Moines and Warren Perry (Carla) Schmidt of Marshalltown; her grandchildren- Charity June Osman, Hope May (Carl) LeFleur, Luke Paul (Cathy) Schmidt, Jonathan Wesley Schmidt, Ricky William Schmidt, James Luis Schmidt, Chandler Perry Schmidt, Dalton Christopher Schmidt and her great-grandchildren- Michael, Andrew, Morgan, William, Nathan and Wesley Wayne. She is also survived by her sister Evelyn Runner of Ferguson and sisters-in-law Helen Perry of Baxter and Monte Perry of Phoenix, AZ, as well as numerous nieces, nephews and a host of friends. In death she has rejoined her parents, her husband Delbert, son Wayne Wesley Schmidt who died in 1967, her son-in-law Carl Albee, siblings Orvan, Wanda, Lowell, Lloyd and Lester Perry and great-granddaughter Shelby.