Jerome Schmitt

Jerome Schmitt 83, of Clark SD, died in a Sioux Falls hospital on Thursday morning, May 29, 2014. Visitation will be Sunday, June 1, 2014 from 4pm to 6pm with a liturgical wake service at 6pm., all in the Furness Funeral Home Chapel at Clark. Visitation will continue in the Church after 9AM Monday. Funeral Mass will be celebrated Monday, June 2, 2014 at 10:00am at St. Michael's Church at Clark with The Reverend John Short officiating. The music will be provided by St. Michael's Choir. Jerome's granddaughter, Aliza Brunsing will be the soloist singing: "Amazing Grace" "How Great Thou Art" "On Eagle's Wings" The casketbearers will be Scott, Dave and Lyle Hoeke, Jeff and Tom Lundborg and Jeremy Anderson. Burial will follow at St. Boniface Cemetery in Clark. He was born Jerome David Schmitt on December 11, 1930 in Grant County, near Milbank, the son of Ray and Agnes (Wellnitz) Schmitt. He attended parochial school at Milbank through the eighth grade. At the age of 17 he enlisted and on his 18th birthday he began a 7 year stint in the US Army, during the Korean War. After his discharge in 1954, he returned to Milbank. During his time of active duty, while in Panama, he was united in marriage to Rosemary VanHout. The couple lived in Milbank where Jerome worked for the Zip Feed Mill. In 1960 he took on a career opportunity and moved to Clark to manage the Zip Feed Mill. The couple lived in Clark until moving to the country in 1975. He retired in the early 1990's. He was a member of the St. Michael's Catholic Church at Clark. Some of his hobbies included hunting and fishing, playing cards, especially pinochle, attending auction sales for bargains and sorting his treasures in the hog shed, a place he enjoyed putting around. In recent years, he has enjoyed with his wife Rosemary, countless games of dice. Preceding him in death were his parents, a son, Dennis, a sister, Darlene (Clifford) Hoeke and a son-in-law, Barry Buxton. Grateful for having shared in his life is his wife Rosemary of Clark, children, Gerald "Schmitty" Schmitt of Doland, Ardella (Ken) Anderson of Lincoln, NE, Sharon Buxton of Satellite Beach, FL., Peter Schmitt and Tony (Rhonda Millen) Schmitt all of Sioux Falls and Don Schmitt of Lead, SD.; 17 grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren and a sister, Molly (Fred) Sweeter of Milbank. Furness Funeral Home of Clark is serving the family where there is an on-line registry at www.furnessfuneralhome.com