Berlie Louis Schmidt

October 2, 1932 - August 3, 2020.

Berlie Schmidt was the former Chairman of the Department of Agronomy at the Ohio State University in Columbus and “Go Bucks!” was his frequent exclamation. He joined the OSU faculty in 1962 at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center in Wooster where he developed and led world renowned research programs in soil erosion and fertility. He was a Fellow of the Soil and Water Conservation Society of America and numerous other professional organizations.

Berlie was born in Council Bluffs, Iowa on October 2, 1932 to the late Hans and Louisa (Guttau) Schmidt, of Treynor, Iowa. He graduated from Treynor High School, and just last week he sang the school fight song! Then he continued his education at Iowa State University where he earned his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in Agronomy and Soil Management, and also researched the unique Loess soil near his home. At ISU he was a proud member of Theta Delta Chi fraternity.

In the midst of his educational pursuits, Berlie married his high school sweetheart, Joanne Bruning in 1954. That same year he was drafted into the U.S. Army, serving as a Chemical Corps instructor in Hawaii where he and Joanne enjoyed living for two years. Berlie and Joanne were married for 28 years and prior to her passing had five children together, who all miss them dearly.

After retiring from OSU, Berlie moved to Washington, D.C. as a National Program Director for the U.S. Department of Agricultural for global research, allowing him to travel the world. During this time he was married to Bonni Mehlhop of Worthington, Ohio.

Following his second retirement from USDA he returned to Ohio, and as a Deacon at Dublin Presbyterian Church, Berlie met Rhoda McIntyre. They were married and spent several happy years together at Friendship Village.

Berlie leaves behind a legacy of love, respect, and friendship to all who knew him. His greatest joy was spending time with his family. In addition to his parents and Joanne, Berlie is preceded in death by his brother Julian, sister Sonja, Bonni, and Rhoda. He is survived by his sister Cynthia; children, Brian(Marina) Schmidt, Luanne(Brian) Code, Kevin(Kim) Schmidt, Kim(Kevin) Nelson, and Christy Mash; grandchildren, Amy(Sean) Crowe, Erin(Sean) Doherty, Brittany(Paul) Demmy, Hailey(Logan) Fehrenbach, Molly Nelson, Annabelle, Hans and Scarlett Schmidt, Zachary and Ethan Mash; great grandchildren, Edie, Louisa, and Samuel.

Visitation will be held Monday, August 10, from 4 to 7 pm at Schoedinger Funeral Home Worthington Chapel, 6699 North High Street, Worthington, Ohio. All guests are asked to wear a mask or face covering due to current health restrictions. A private service for the family will be held Tuesday, August 11.

Contributions in memory of Berlie may be made to:

Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC) through checks made payable to The Ohio State University Foundation-OARDC sent to The Ohio State University Foundation, 1480 West Lane Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43221

or to:

Agronomy Department Fund with checks payable to Iowa State University Foundation (Agronomy Department Fund) sent to The Iowa State University Foundation, 2505 University Blvd, PO Box 2230, Ames, IA 50010-2230