John Ludwig Schmidt

John Ludwig Schmidt, 88, passed away on November 24, 2020 in Raleigh, NC after a brief illness. He was born in Cincinnati, Ohio on August 12, 1932, the only child of German immigrant parents John and Elsie Kilgus Schmidt. He lived the first 12 years of his life in the “Over the Rhine” district of the city, later moving with his parents to the suburb of Clifton near the University of Cincinnati campus. He graduated from Walnut Hills High School in 1950 and then entered the University of Cincinnati, obtaining the BS in Zoology and Chemistry. He married Lore Bolay in Cincinnati in 1955. He later earned his MBA from Tulane University in New Orleans.

During the Korean War, John served in the Army Medical Corps as a regimental x-ray technician attached to the 14th Armored Cavalry Regiment stationed in Fulda, Germany. The 14th had been deployed to defend the Fulda Gap, the most likely Russian armored invasion route from East Germany.

Both as an undergraduate and postgraduate in Cincinnati, John worked as a laboratory assistant in cancer, tuberculosis, and cardiac research. He eventually left the medical field and entered industry as a quality control chemist for the Pillsbury Company with assignments in Hamilton, OH and Grand Forks, ND.

John joined the Boeing Company in New Orleans at the start of the Apollo Lunar Program. The Saturn V S-IC booster rocket was to be assembled in the Michoud facility there. He held various professional and management positions in Quality and Reliability Assurance. A major highlight of his years at Michoud was meeting future Apollo astronauts when they toured the facility. These included Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chafee who, sadly, all perished in a capsule fire during pre-launch testing. Dr. Werner von Braun, NASA's Director of the Apollo Program, came regularly to attend program review meetings. As the S-IC contract was ending, John left Boeing to join IBM in the Research Triangle Park. He came with his wife Lore and sons Gregory and Eric to Raleigh, where he spent the rest of his life.

At IBM, John held both professional and management positions during his career. He worked in areas such as systems and procedures, manufacturing support, market research, and as a planner in multiple business units. He was Safety Manager during the time the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) became law, and he directed the site-wide effort to ensure compliance. John retired from IBM in 1992 after 25 years’ service

John enjoyed listening to classical music and was a singer in numerous choirs over the years. He was an avid photographer and the hobby was fully utilized on many trips with his lovely wife Lore, both in the States and abroad. Such travels were an enjoyable feature of their long marriage. Lore predeceased John in 2007 after 52 years of marriage.

John is survived by his son Gregory and wife Ricarda with grandchildren Max and Caroline of Frankfurt, Germany, and by his son Eric and wife Dianne with grandchildren Danielle of Raleigh and Justin of Charlotte.

A private memorial service is planned. In lieu of flowers, contributions to a favorite charity could be made.