MARVIN ALBERT WILTON SCHMIDT

Marvin Albert Wilton Schmidt died Sept. 28, 2005, at Valley Hospital, of congestive heart failure.

Memorial services were held at Lamb of God Lutheran Church on Oct. 1.

Mr. Schmidt was born Jan. 14, 1934, to Alfred and Marie Schmidt of Long Prairie, Minn. He was baptized and confirmed at the Trinity Lutheran Church and involved with 4H in school. He graduated in 1951, staying with an uncle and aunt in Minneapolis the first year until his folks moved there.

He tried different jobs and found installation of ceramic tile as an early career.

Mr. Schmidt met Eleanor Alice Clay and they married on July 25, 1953. The couple lived in Bloomington, where they had three sons.

He took the family camping and fishing all around the state, and also enjoyed mastering gardening and carpentry.

In 1968, Mr. Schmidt's wife and sons packed up and drove to their new home in Alaska. He found employment in Anchorage and bought a small house in North Birchwood, adding another bedroom and making it a home for his sons to grow up in. He worked for Carey Mobile Homes, Peters Creek Fuel and then Mobile Trailer Supply.

In 1981, Mr. Schmidt moved to Wasilla.

In the past 37 years, he built 3 houses and worked in his own business, Northern Recreation, stemming from his love of camping and fishing and his business of supplying parts and repair for travel trailers and campers, RVs and other vehicles.

His family wrote, &#8221All who knew Marv liked him and his company. He found hunting with friends and his sons off the Denali Highway as much as fishing around the Valley lakes, to be his recreation.

He worked the garden all season along Wasilla Fishhook, with his big sunflowers, rows of peas, potatoes and berries and the moose upsetting him most getting into his garden and eating his prized red cabbage and peas. Even the strawberries were eaten this year.

&#8221During the winter months, he constructed whirligigs, birdhouses, doll beds and rocking horses for his grandchildren.

&#8221He took ribbon prizes at the state fair for making a wood doll house and a wood motor home and growing big potatoes and berries.“

Mr. Schmidt belonged to Lutheran Missouri Synod all his life, and, recently, to Lamb of God Church in Wasilla, where even the newly built church has pieces of his work.

Mr. Schmidt is survived by his wife of 52 years, Eleanor; three sons, Elton Allen and Diana, Jeffery Brian and Twila and Chris Clayton and Marci; grandchildren, Jeneffer and Nate of Arlington, Wash., Justin, Heather and Mike, Ben, Alia and Jarod of Boca Raton, Fla., Sonia, John, Shawn and Sissy, Jessica, Chrystal, Brian, Sheena and Chad; great-grandchildren, Eli, Allison, Koby, Kaden, Owen, Brooklyn, Winter, Serena, Brendon, Noah, Danial and Arron; brother, Harold and Carol of Long Prairie, Minn.; sister, Paulenia and Oscar of Grey Eagle, Minn., and many aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins.

He was preceded in death by both parents.

His family wrote, &#8221Marvin was pleased to have had his sister and a niece come and visit with him the weekend before and take them over Hatcher Pass and up to Matanuska Glacier, when the colors of the trees were so beautiful.

&#8221He was greatly loved by his family and will be missed every day.“