Duane Eugene Schmidt

Duane Eugene Schmidt, the son of Ben H.P. and Dagmar (Nissen) Schmidt, was born January 10, 1933, at his parents’ rural home west of Audubon, Iowa and died December 31, 2019, at the Iowa Methodist Hospital in Des Moines, Iowa at the age of 86 years, 11 months, and 21 days.
Duane was baptized and confirmed at the Ebenezer Lutheran Church west of Audubon. He attended rural Audubon County schools then helped operate the family farm.
On August 6, 1952, he was united in marriage to Lois Janet Blair at the Methodist Church in Harlan, Iowa. They moved to and operated a farm in Guthrie County where they started their family and were blessed with four children: Joan, Daniel, Terry, and Dean. They moved into Audubon in 1957. Duane went to masonry school and returned to Audubon and opened Schmidt Masonry Contracting. They built a new home in 1960, where they spent their married life. Duane continued running the masonry business, and in 1971, he purchased the Audubon Ready Mix. He phased out the masonry business in 2006 and has continued to participate in the Ready Mix business.
Duane was a member of Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church in Audubon. He was a member of the Audubon Jaycees, and he did the masonry work on “Albert the Bull”. Duane was a member of the Audubon Lions Club, a founding member of SEDON, and belonged to several other community organizations. Duane loved to fish and enjoyed “lake life,” especially with his best friend and love of his life, Lois. They enjoyed boating, water skiing, and entertaining the grandchildren at the lake. Lois died January 20, 2010. Family was very important to Duane, especially spending time with the grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Preceding him in death was his wife, Lois J. Schmidt; his grandson, Michael Schmidt; his son-in-law, Gary Fancher; his parents, Ben and Dagmar Schmidt; his step-mother, Ollivene Schmidt; and his sisters, Bernice Schmidt and Shirley Schmidt.
Survivors include his children: Joan Fancher, Daniel and wife Christine Schmidt all of Audubon; Terry Schmidt of Atlantic, Iowa; and Dean and wife Julie Schmidt of Audubon; his grandchildren: Brooke and husband Jerod Burns of Brooklyn, Iowa; Justin and wife Katy Fancher of Grimes, Iowa; Cara and husband Brad Whipple of Ankeny, Iowa; Benjamin and wife Jenny Schmidt of Polk City, Iowa; Allison and husband Sam Erdahl of Elkhart, Iowa; Bradley Schmidt and friend Beth Henderson and Leslie and husband Matt Thomas, all of Urbandale, Iowa; and Taylor Roseboom and friend Nick Wenger of Ankeny; his great-grandchildren: Beau Burns, Ethan Burns, Brock Fancher, Brody Fancher, Brecken Fancher, Isla Fancher, Caden Rasmus, Mayci Rasmus, Addy Whipple, Miles Whipple, Eliza Schmidt, Ryker Schmidt, Dustin Erdahl, Jordan Erdahl, and Indiana Thomas; his sisters, Phyllis Kelly of Lake View, Iowa, and Sherrin and husband Lyle Klacsan of Bella Vista, Arkansas; his sisters-in-law, Arletha Hockett of Tennant, Iowa, and Lois Jean Blair of Marion, Iowa; as well as many nieces, nephews, and other relatives and many friends.
The family will meet with friends on Friday evening, January 3, 2020, from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. at the Kessler Funeral Home in Audubon, Iowa. Funeral service will be conducted by Pastor Ben Unseth on Saturday afternoon, January 4, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. at Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church in Audubon, Iowa. Interment will be in the Maple Grove Cemetery in Audubon. The casket bearers will be Benjamin Schmidt, Justin Fancher, Bradley Schmidt, Jerod Burns, Brad Whipple, Sam Erdahl, and Matt Thomas.