RIP, BIG LOU.....

                                                                                      

On Sept. 5, 2018, at age 80, "Big Lou" passed from this earth.

He was my husband of 47 years and significant other for 54 years.   

We met when I was 18 and he 26, though I thought he was in early 20's.  We married 2 years later.  Within 10 &1/2 years we had our family of 5 boys and 2 girls.


Debbie,Burt, Angie, Gerry, Lou, Chuck, Al, Georgia, baby Bill. 1977

35 years later at the Grand Canyon

A little Louie                                               Athlete Louie

 Winter Firewood Lou and neighbor. Walter....
Sheet metal man Lou....

   

  American Gothic Lou and Wife.....visiting Alaska...













Schmidt Men and baby Gemma at the San Diego coast

Open heart surgery 2014 to replace a valve and 4 by-passes

Recovery outing with the grandkids in central Wisconsin

Lou's last Big Adventure...
Jan-March 2015
Plane trip to Vancouver, WA
to visit with me, the Millers and the PNW

Shortly after returning home to Park Falls, WI, Lou became bedridden and tube fed for almost 3 years.  He was home where he wanted to be and greeted everyone with a cheerful, "I'm counting my blessings".  That is, when he wasn't pretending to be sleeping if he didn't want to visit.

Life with Lou was a mixture of blessing, fun, high energy, stress and trauma.  He struggled with alcohol and all that entails.  He loved me and our children, though he didn't always know how to express that. 

I am grateful for the good parts of our life experience, grew to understand the illness that haunted his life, and have concluded we did in the midst of it all, have a love story.  
____________________________ 

Lou always wanted to be included in family events even when all he could do was to "look forward" to them and not actually be there.  He did, however, make it to the last family event 
one week before his own.  

Sept. 22....Bill and Amanda's wedding at a California mountain resort

All the Schmidts were there, even Lou in his traveling sheet metal container.....


                                                                   

Family at Lou's celebration of 
life in Park Falls, WI  Sept. 29
Sheet metal urn, custom made by son, Al....




GeoLou Schmidt progeny minus 9 members....

Scene along the Flambeau River in northern Wisconsin the evening before Lou's service....
Rest in peace, Big Lou!  We look forward to meeting with you again in heavenly eternity.....




















This has been a sad, good 35 days in the life of Grandma G.

"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.  But the greatest of these is love."  
(1 Corinthians 13:13)