Alfred Allan Schmid, 12 March 1935-5 April 2017. Born on a farm near Dawson, Nebraska, to Alfred Edward and Florence (Beutler) Schmid. B.Sc. University of Nebraska, Ph.D. University of Wisconsin. University Distinguished Professor Michigan State University where he taught for 47 years. Husband of Alice Bryam Todd (1934-1984) and Kay Ann (McDevitt) Carroll. Father of John (Diane Eddy) Schmid and Elizabeth (Burnham) Fox. Stepfather of Charles (Cindy Moore) Carroll, James (Margaret Selasky) Carroll, Thomas (Susan Hibbins) Carroll, Patrick Carroll, Daniel (Betsy Bruner) Carroll; 11 grandchildren, Emily Durkin, Jordan (Amanda Stokes) Durkin, Lindsay (William) Peters, Michael Carroll, Reid Carroll, Owen Carroll, Ian Carroll, Cameron Carroll, Annie Carroll, Patrick Carroll, and Sarah Schmid; 4 great-grandchildren, Amaya Guyton, Liam Peters, Blaine Durkin, and Luca Peters; and many extended family members.
Alfred was the author of several academic books and a historical novel, ‘The Quest for Land and Fortune’.
He was an incurable, inveterate romantic who loved fiercely. Collected cookbooks and could bake a French baguette; had a library of over 1,000 non-academic books; wrote poetry, travel memoirs (17 bound volumes), scholarly books translated into Chinese, Italian, and Indonesian. Visited Machu Pichu, Etosha, the Great Wall, Mont Saint-Michael, the Alhambra, Teotihuacan and the Pyramids; worked briefly in Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe. With his travel buddy Kay, rode the great trains of Europe including the TGV and ICE; made a grand tour from Rotterdam, Paris, Berlin, Krakow, Budapest, Wein, Innsbruck, and Bern; made a bus trip to the American National Parks in Arizona, Utah, and Wyoming.
He was a sculptor, and had an extensive art collection with Kay; researched genealogy, documenting 7,000 names; owned a farm where he was born; had a sense of style in clothes and household furnishing; drove his 944 at the Porsche auto-cross school; took classes in golf, tennis, bowling, archery; wrote an historical novel plus historical articles; sang in weddings, a university Glee Club, and a rendition of Ole Man River that surprised the heck out of his grandchildren.
Lived for various periods in Dublin, Madrid, London, Cambridge, Bath, plus sabbatical leave in Bloomington, Boston, Tucson, and Berkeley; rode a pony to a one-room country grade school; saw every place in the DC guidebook while living there for a year on two occasions; visited the great art museums of the world – London’s National, Prado, Louvre, Rijksmuseum; enjoyed some of the great thespians of our time; singers; musicians; dance companies; was a collector of antiques and a few others things.
In short, a man of broad tastes and interests. Some say you are what you eat, he said “you are who you love”. Some say no, but Alfred said “yes”.
A Celebration of Alfred’s Life will be held on Saturday, May 13 2017, 12 p.m. at Eagle Eye Country Club, 15500 Chandler Rd., Bath, MI, with visiting one hour prior.
The family is being served by Gorsline Runciman Funeral Homes, East Lansing. On-line condolences and memories may be shared with the family at www.greastlansing.com.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18