Leroy William Schmidt, 81, of Flandreau, SD, passed away at his home on Thursday, February 19, 2026. His funeral service took place Monday, February 23, 2026 at Eastman Hall in Flandreau, SD. Burial at First Presbyterian Cemetery in Flandreau.
Leroy William Schmidt was born on July 10, 1944, in Pipestone, Minnesota, to Herbert Schmidt and Excelda (Rath) Schmidt. He journeyed to the spirit world peacefully, with sons Art and Daniel by his side, on February 19, 2026, reuniting once again with his beloved wife, Patricia, who passed away on January 1, 2026.
Leroy grew up on a farm between Casanova, Minnesota, and Flandreau, SD, working hard alongside his father and uncles while also working for neighboring farmers. He attended Casanova Country School and later Pipestone School. After completing his schooling, he worked at the bowling alley for the summer before joining the Navy in the fall of 1960; he was sixteen years old. He spent four years in the Navy and was honorably discharged at twenty years of age. Following his military service, he spent one year traveling on Highway 1 around the U.S.A. with three of his military friends on their motorcycles before meeting the love of his life.
On July 25, 1966, Leroy was united in marriage to Patricia Redearth Schmidt. Together, they shared 59½ years of marriage while raising their family. Early in their marriage, they lived in Sioux Falls, SD, for approximately three years before moving. In 1968, the family began farming on an acreage near Valley Springs, SD. During their time in Valley Springs, Leroy owned and operated a blacksmith and machine shop, served as a volunteer firefighter, and at one point served as the Valley Springs fire chief. In the spring of 1976, they returned home to Flandreau, SD, to start a family, raise sheep, and continue farming. Throughout the 80s, Leroy worked part-time for Ramsdell’s, Schipper Trucking, Ingalls Construction, and RCS Construction. Together, as husband and wife, Leroy and Pat drove semi-truck for PTI out of Huron, South Dakota. In the 90s, Leroy went back to his passion of ranching and farming, raising sheep and cattle and eventually dropping the sheep and just raising cattle until the very end of his days. He loved his cows; they were his babies. Throughout his life, Leroy enjoyed being with his family, holidays, camping, fishing, farming, and working—he simply enjoyed working hard. He was a member of the First Presbyterian Church. When Leroy couldn’t attend church, he watched church on TV. Leroy will be dearly missed, especially for his kindness, willingness to help, and his knowledge of knowing everything. Leroy was fond of kids, and at family gatherings, he could always be found in the background with a kid sitting on his lap.
Leroy is survived by his children: daughter Patsy (Troy); sons Arthur (Kim) and Daniel (Codi); his godson, “Dano Good Boy”; his grandchildren: Samuel, Thomas, Seth, Abby (Nick), Nate, Casey, and Josh (Lisa); his great-grandchildren: Carter, Sullivan, Jameson, Hendrik, Aspen, Braysen, Aaden, and Stella; and his sisters: Cheryl (Daryl) Greenhoff of Pipestone, MN; Dawn (Art) Rohlik of Wanda, MN; and Lori Wog Schmidt of Sioux Falls, SD; along with several nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Herbert and Excelda Schmidt; his wife, Patricia Schmidt; his daughter, Sheila Schmidt; his son, Randy Schmidt; his in-law brothers and sisters; and several nieces, nephews, and great-nieces and nephews.
Leave a Reply