Robert Lorenz Schmidt

Robert Lorenz Schmidt was born to Marie and Alex Schmidt on 21 April 1952. He was the third of three children, the spoiled one, and grew up near 17th and Calvert in Lincoln Nebraska. He attended Merle Beattie grade school, Irving Junior High School and graduated from Lincoln High School in 1970. He was part of a small crew that created the links mascot located at the northeast corner of the Lincoln High campus. Like his father before him, Robert began working for the railroad shortly after high school was completed. He enjoyed the travel railroad life afforded and during slow times with the railroad would hitch hike to various parts of the country, mainly west, with his Doberman pinscher Rueben. Reuben accompanied Bobby virtually everywhere he went and provided some protection; Rueben weighed over 100 pounds. Bobby, while single, had a son, and after much thought both mother and father felt it best for the son to be adopted. Adam grew up in Red Cloud to wonderful parents and made contact with Bobby through an ancestral dna search. They have gotten to know each other over the last few years. Bobby told me Adam was the best thing he ever did, and his life was completed by meeting his son and family. When the economy and the Burlington began laying people off Bobby found work in Denver and then Seattle. At each place work was not always steady and he ultimately found himself back in Lincoln after the death of Mom in 1996. After off and on railroad employment due to layoffs and years of odd jobs and barely getting by he was diagnosed with laryngeal cancer and then suffered two consecutive strokes which left him paralyzed on the left side. He was in assisted living continually after his second stroke. He found Jesus Christ as his personal savior during this time. I would ask him if he wanted a book to read, he said no he had his bible which he told me he read cover to cover seven times, that was the only book he needed. Robert recently found out he had a mass on his lung and liver, both turned out to be cancer, aggressive cancer. Within a couple weeks he began getting weak and then hospitalized. He succumbed to the disease on 22 Jan 2022. He passed away comfortably with most of his remaining family by his side. Bobby and I were distanced for quite a few years, mainly because of geography, so much of his railroad days are unknown to me. What I do know is that I loved and enjoyed the man who could be a bit gruff and then turn around and give you the shirt off his back. He will be missed.

Visitation will be held Tuesday, February 1, 2022 from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM at Lincoln Memroial Funeral Home. 6800 S. 14th St, Lincoln, NE. Graveside service will follow at 2:00 PM at Lincoln Memorial Cemetery. 6700 S. 14th St, Lincoln, NE.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials be made in Bob's honor, to the American Cancer Society. https://donate3.cancer.org