Thomas Charles Schmidt

June 24, 1938 - October 16, 2021

Thomas Charles Schmidt, 83, of Traverse City passed away peacefully on October 16, 2021 at his home. Tom was born on June 24, 1938 in Cleveland, OH. He graduated from Fairview High School in 1956 and earned his Bachelor's degree in Journalism from the Ohio University in 1960. He served honorably in the Ohio National Guard from 1960 through1966. On March 21, 1964, Tom married the former Susan Joyce Rademaker in Rocky River, Ohio. In 1971 they moved to Traverse City. He was employed in sales and as a funeral service professional assistant. He also worked for the weekly newspaper called Traverse Bay News. In his free time he enjoyed meeting up with friends for a good cup of coffee and conversation. He also liked reading and keeping up with current events. He was a personable friendly man, who made friends everywhere he went. He and Susan liked to travel and took several cruises with family and friends. He also enjoyed owning several convertible cars and attending car shows. Tom was preceded in death by his parents, brother Jim and daughter-in-law Catherine Strom Schmidt. Tom is survived by his wife of 57 years, Susan; their sons Wayne (Kathleen Shannon) Schmidt and Matthew (Kate Greene) Schmidt; grandchildren Ryan, Daniel, Chloe, Owen, and Thomas; sister-in-law Nancy Schmidt; nieces Lisa Marie (Rob) Schroeder and Linda (Vince) Browand; and great niece and nephews Jacob, Jana and Josh Schroeder. A private family memorial was held on Monday, October 17, 2021. He was laid to rest at Oakwood Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be directed to Blessings in a Backpack through Father Fred or to the Cherryland Humane Society. The family would like to thank the staff on floor A-4 at Munson Medical Center for their loving and attentive care and Munson Hospice for their caring guidance to help get Tom home so that family could be with him. Thank you for leaving your condolences here on this tribute page. And in closing - as Tom always said "Keep me posted".