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.  
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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)  

San Diego Sun Fun.Part 2

Yo Grandma G blog fans....so sorry I haven't blogged for 3 weeks.  Life has gotten a bit challenging lately. But more on that later.  Here is a summary of summer August fun continued with granddaughters, Angie, Gemma and Olivia..... 

LegoLand!!
 Angie, works at LegoLand in Carlsbad, CA.
She treated us to a day visit there early August. 

Enjoy a brief photo stroll through the park!!

Olivia was bit by a spider the next day....sure glad it wasn't this one!

                             

Lounging by and in the pool!!

My son, Gerry, wanted Legos for his birthday when he was about 8 years old.  I didn't know the importance of giving him exactly what he wanted and bought a different brand.  He told me years later that he put them on his bedroom shelf and never played with them.  In his adult years he has flooded himself with Lego sets.  It is fitting that his niece now works at LegoLand.   The End. 



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We also had a day excursion into Tijuana, Mexico! We walked across the border and into Tijuana!!

Enjoyed some ice cream, shopping, lunch, photos, more shopping and returned to the United Sates..... 

 

 

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 Time for Olivia to return home to Milwaukee, WI and to family...

A private concert from budding musicians.....

Louisa on 3 instruments....
Gave me a violin lesson..
don't think that is my forte..

Emilia playing piano for me...
She is into sewing and enjoys sewing camp
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One last fling at Irish Fest, Milwaukee.....

 

 

A ride on the air tram across the park and back.....

Then time for Gram G to return home....

 ....To Vancouver, WA and my Red Hat ladies to visit a 140 ft. totem pole!

This has been a good many August Sun Fun days in the life of Grandma G.

"Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord."     (Psalm 150:6)