George Chandler Schmidt

George Chandler Schmidt was born on March 13, 1923 in Long Island City, New York to Reinhardt and Florence Schmidt. He was raised in Queens, New York with his brother Richard and eventually settled on Long Island, New York. He was honorably discharged from the United States Marine Corps in November of 1941. Upon his discharge from the Marines, he lived in Bellmore, New York where he met his wife Alice, and on August 14, 1946, he did the smartest thing he ever did in his life and married her. They raised their family in Massapequa Park and Massapequa and in 1971, he moved with Alice and three of their children to Mesa, Arizona, where they resided since. George and Alice also helped raise their grandson Robby Schmidt. While on Long Island, George served the Township of Oyster Bay as Superintendent of the Sign Department and played a role in the management of the very popular Tobay Beach, right near Jones Beach on the south shore of Long Island. After moving to Arizona, he dabbled in real estate and eventually retired from the Maricopa County Assessor's office. While in Massapequa, George was heavily involved in activities with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. He served in several local and statewide posts, attended many national conventions, and was Exalted Ruler of Massapequa Lodge #2162 when they completed their first building, which involved many hours of volunteering. He also emceed events the Elks held for children and adults with cerebral palsy, and was a chaperone on many trips the Elks would take transporting busloads of children going to the Polo Grounds and Shea Stadium to see New York Mets games for free. While working for the township, George coordinated volunteer efforts to build a baseball field on Carmen Mill Road for the local little league. George was also very active in the local Republican Party and worked many hours on their behalf, and was the coordinator of a visit to Massapequa by then-New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller and once dined with a then-presidential candidate by the name of Dwight D. Eisenhower. George had a strong testimony and he shared his love of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He enjoyed many hours praying for and ministering to others. One of George and Alice's greatest adventures was traveling to Israel to revel in the history of the Bible. He really enjoyed the many friends he made and the associations he had with members of various churches throughout the valley. George was blessed with five children, Walter Schmidt (Anne), Allison Hassett (Alan), Jerry Schmidt (Kandi Menges), Robert Schmidt, and Chris Willis; eight grandchildren, Michael Schmidt, Joanna Schmidt, David White, Robby Schmidt, Nicholas Schmidt, Nicole Holtum (Mike), Richard Willis (Jill) and Jennifer Curtin (Neil); and ten great-grandchildren, Kyra White, Sam Schmidt, Victoria Schmidt, Zayne Schmidt, R.J. Schmidt, Taylor Willis, Blake Willis, Sophia Curtin, Mason Holtum, and Tyler White. After battling health problems for several years, George died one day into his 94th year on the morning of March 14, 2017. An event he was looking forward to for almost two years, he is now joyfully reunited with his wife of over 68 years Alice, who pre-deceased him in April of 2015. According to his wishes, George was cremated (in a suit!). Some of his ashes will be spread at a special place in New York, while the remainder of his ashes will be interred with Alice at her gravesite. There will a local service for George beginning at 6:00 PM on Friday, March 31st at Meldrum Mortuary, 52 North Macdonald, Mesa. The family would like to thank all those friends and medical professionals who visited and/or helped support George during his years of failing health, from his physician Dr. Levitt, the doctors and nurses at Banner Desert Medical Center, and to the gentle souls at Hospice of the Valley. The family would also like to send a special thank you to the many people at Country Villa for their compassionate care of our dad the last few years. And again as with mom, the family would like to express their deep appreciation to our sister Chris for her many years of care for dad. We are deeply grateful. In lieu of flowers, if you would like to make any contributions in George's honor, the following organizations have been suggested by George. Please insert "In honor of George Schmidt" in the memo line. Hospice of the Valley Attn: Donations Department 1510 E. Flower Street Phoenix, AZ 85014 Fountain of Life Church 6056 E. Baseline Rd Suite 134 Mesa, AZ 85206 Massapequa Elks #2162 2162 Veterans Blvd. Massapequa, NY 11758 With sincere thanks for being in our mom and dad's lives. -George's family Previous Events Service MAR 31. 6:00 PM (MT) Meldrum Mortuary 52 N Macdonald Mesa, AZ 85201 [email protected] https://www.meldrummortuary.com Loading map