John Edward Schmidt

John was born on February 8, 1942, in Indianapolis, Indiana, the second of nine children of Harold and Catherine McMahon Schmidt. John attended Holy Spirit grade school and graduated from Scecina Memorial High School in 1960. John attended Purdue and IUPUI.

John married Margaret McCann in 1963 and had three children; Jill Elaine, Christopher Anthony, and Michael David, all of Carmel, Indiana. Anyone who knew John, knew the depth of his love for them was immeasurable. They, in turn, loved and admired him and looked to him for all the answers in life.

While his children were growing up, John coached their sports activities and, if he wasn’t coaching, he was always present as their most avid fan, and remained as such to the very end.

His career began in steel sales at Indianapolis Steel. He was later employed by U.S. Steel and Shelby Steel. He changed paths and ventured into insurance sales with AUL. He ended his work career by forming a mortgage business, Mortgage Specialists of Indiana, with his son Chris.

In 2014, John married Diane Alerding. With the marriage, John and Diane formed a large family. Jill and Chris attended Cathedral High School with Diane’s children, Megan, Kevin, Laurie, and Maryclare Alerding. Michael attended Chatard High School.

Being a grandfather was the joy of his later years. Makena and Molly brought utter delight to his days. A doting grandfather, he attended all their activities, never missing a birthday, a holiday, or a school event. He was thrilled when they made their Bat Mitzvahs, and was excited to see Makena enrolled at Purdue. He continually thanked his wonderful daughter-in-law Margo for giving him his two beautiful granddaughters.

After John married Diane, he was delighted to gain 15 additional grandchildren. They embraced him and were eager to spend time with him. His life with Diane was filled with family gatherings and outings with friends. She brought him immense happiness and together they had a full life. Diane is a great cook. He looked forward to the delicious meals she so lovingly prepared each evening. They attended daily Mass together at St. Louis de Montfort, sharing their Catholic faith.

John was happiest on a golf course. He enjoyed tennis, riding his bike, wood working, and ballroom dancing. He was excited to travel to visit Jill when she lived in Colorado, Virginia, and Florida. He was known as Mr. Fix-it and had a knack for solving problems. He could often be found relaxing in his recliner watching Hallmark movies.

John was preceded in death by his parents, Harold and Catherine (McMahon) Schmidt and a sister Kathleen L. Schmidt. He is also preceded in death by Diane’s son-in-law John McCormick. He is survived by his wife Diane, his children Jill, Chris (Mindy), Mike (Margo), and granddaughters Makena and Molly Schmidt. His surviving siblings are Carolyn (Loyal) Sabean, Jan Burkhart, Tom (Barb) Schmidt, Marynell Lewis, Margaret Ann Torzewski, Joe Schmidt, and Joanne Schmidt.

In addition, he leaves behind Diane’s family, Megan (Matt) Helmen, Kevin (Sharon) Alerding, Laurie (Mike) Cassetty, Maryclare (Chris) Valentine, grandchildren Jake, Lauren, Jenna, Connor, and Ryan Helmen, Michael (Frannie), Vincent (Claire), Katie and Christian Alerding, Sean (Caroline), Kiernan, and Brendan McCormick, and Charlie, Lilly, and Cole Valentine.

A visitation will be on Thursday, September 21, from 4:00-7:00 p.m. at Feeney-Hornak Keystone Mortuary, 2126 E. 71st St., Indianapolis.

A visitation will begin at 9:30 a.m. on Friday, September 22. The eulogy will begin promptly at 10:15 a.m. followed by a funeral Mass. Services will be held at St. Louis de Montfort, 11441 Hague Rd., Fishers.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memory of John Schmidt to the Foundation Fighting Blindness, P.O. Box 45740, Baltimore, MD 21297-5740 www.fightingblindness.org. Select ecard option: schmidtgroup@att.net. This organization was important to John whose son Mike has retinitis pigmentosa.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.feeneyhornakkeystone.com for the Schmidt family.