|
Kennth Schmidt 1942 - 1024
Kenneth Robert Schmidt returned to his heavenly home on Monday, July 29th, 2024. As he enters a fuller and more joyful existence, he will be remembered and loved here on earth by many family and friends, including 5 children, 18 grandchildren, and 10 great grandchildren. Ken was born in Murray, Utah on March 2nd, 1942 and is joining his parents Theodore and Charlotte (Fritsch) Schmidt and his brother Dean. He played football for the University of Utah, both offense and defense, and graduated with a masters degree in education. Ken loved the Savior and was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He married Yvonne Youngberg in 1964, and they were later sealed in the Salt Lake City Temple. They loved their church service mission and how they were able to give back to their community and serve like Jesus. Ken Schmidt was born to be a coach. He lived and breathed football. In his 45 years of coaching he could be found pacing the sidelines, was expertly decisive, and could be heard from almost anywhere in the stadium. From his days at Skyline to BYU, he created a legacy. More than his winning records and numerous championships, it was his impact on his players that will last a lifetime. Ken created with them a bond that can’t be broken, fostering discipline, hard work, and perseverance—true brotherhood. Coach Schmidt will be remembered as a genuine leader and outstanding mentor. He was a tough man, a coach through and through, but there was no doubt, through the way he served, how much he loved his family. Ken lives on through his wife, Yvonne, his sons Ryan (MaryLyn) Schmidt and Craig (Kaisa) Schmidt, his son Jason Schmidt, his daughter Shauna (Joe) Evans, and his son Chad (Kendra) Schmidt. His grandkids will always remember the cheese sandwiches made, the UNO games played, his support at games and events, and the way he always came to the rescue. We will remember his strong hands and hearty laugh. We’ll think of him when we water our flowers, paint our houses, or take care of our cars. We’ll miss him when we go to a football game or eat plum streusel. We’ll love him, forever. Quiet but profound service was Ken Schmidt’s legacy—a legacy that all those he impacted, all those he mentored and believed in, will strive to carry on. A viewing will be held Friday, August 2, 2024 from 6 - 8 pm at Jenkins-Soffe South Valley (1007 W South Jordan Parkway, South Jordan, Utah). Funeral Service will be held Saturday, August 3, 2024 at 12:00 pm at American Fork 34th Ward (1100 East 400 North, American Fork, Utah) with a viewing prior at the church from 10:30-11:30 am. Interment will follow the funeral service at Larkin Sunset Gardens.
|
Tim Cox
Coach Schmidt was kind of a hard guy. I think he was a good coach but not your warm and friendly type. He surrounded himself with good coaches and he was organized and tough. I appreciated the things he taught me in life. I am glad he was loved by his family.
Glen Warath
Back in the day I made some really stupid choices, probably the dumbest was picking up smoking. One morning I was having a smoke out by the overhead doors that go to the equipment room for sports, Coach Schmidt walked out one of the doors and caught me, he said in a harsh voice hey WARATH what are you doing 😳 I said, oh nothing he called be over and said to put that thing out and that if I could jog around the Track that he wouldn't take any other action against me. I was in his weight lifting class so he new me pretty good! I did pretty good and as I ran towards him he told me something that I will never forget, he said "Now if you continue with that filthy habit that one day you won't even be able to walk around that Track". He never brought it up again and yes I quit many years ago and have no ill affects, so thank you Coach, Coach Schmidt was one of the good guys RIP Sir.Win Jones
Coach Schmidt was a great coach and taught tough, hard-nosed football. He had great passion for the game and that love rubbed off on us. I remember after a few broken clipboards, they tried metal ones that he just bent in half. When that happened we knew Saturday morning workout was going to be really tough. On the fairly rare occasions when he laughed at something, you could see a twinkle in his eye and realize that he tried hard to be tougher than he probably was in his life away from the field.
Becky (Thorup) said he even went out early mornings and taught the Pep Club about football so they would understand.the game and know when to cheer, and when not to.
Great man, great legacy.