Carol S. Schmidt

The Lord received his Christmas present back on Christmas Eve. Carol Shirley McKirdy Schmidt passed away on her 81st birthday, December24, 2007 at Eventide Lutheran Home, Moorhead.Carol was born December. 24, 1926 under a Christmas tree in her home at Gladstone, ND; the daughter of Herbert and Dagmar Miller McKirdy and the 12th of 16 children. Her early childhood was spent in Gladstone enjoying the freedom of rural life with her siblings. She was an admitted tomboy and loved to skate, hike, swim, ride horseback, play baseball and competed with her brothers in any activity they chose. At age fourteen she moved to Dickinson, ND where she attended Dickinson Central High School. She then moved to St. Louis Park, Minneapolis, MN and graduated from St. Louis Park High School in 1944. She received additional training at IBM in Minneapolis and then worked for Northwest Airlines in Minneapolis.Carol married William P. Schmidt Feb. 16, 1946 at St. Columbus Church in St. Paul, MN. They settled on a farm south of Dickinson, ND and together had fifteen children, two of whom died in infancy. They lived together on the farm for twenty five years.Carol was a creative, adventuresome and resourceful spirit. She attended Dickinson State College and the University of ND, Williston in the nursing program. In 1974 she moved to Boulder, MT, and worked as an aid for the Montana Developmental Center. In 1976 she moved to Whitehall, MT and then in 1980 moved to Denver, CO and worked as a major domo and cook till 1982. In 1982 she moved back to Whitehall and worked for Meyer Health Care in home health. In 1984 she moved to Kansas City, MO and worked as a major domo and caretaker for ten years. In 1994 she returned to Whitehall and built her dream home in which she lived till 2006. She then moved to a retirement home in Moorhead, MN to be closer to more of her children.Carol had many and varied interests. She was an avid collector, with collections of baseball cards, stamps, coins, rocks and seashells. She was a student of geology and could indentify every rock she looked at. She loved horses and owned several of them. She loved to swim and dance. Her huge flower gardens were magnificent and she loved to travel and visited many parts of the world. She was an excellent and adventuresome cook. She loved to write and had a very colorful and detailed writing style. From 1999 to 2006 she wrote a cooking column, "Carol's Corner" for the Whitehall Ledger. Carol loved to be with people and to entertain. She was a member of the Whitehall Rotary Club and was a proud recipient of the Paul Harris Fellowship award. She was a member of the Whitehall Toastmasters club and served as their governor. And she was a member of Zion Lutheran Church in Whitehall and served on the Whitehall board of ministry. Her most precious interest, though, was her family and she made it a point to be with her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren whenever possible.Carol is survived by her children: Herbert Bonnie, Fargo, ND, Edward Mary Lou, Phoenix, AZ, Shirley Vaughn Johnson, Argusville, ND, Kenneth Jean, Independence, MO, Timothy, Boulder, MT, Rosanne Frank Dey, Glendive, MT, Joyce Russell, Strum, WI, Willette Duncan Smith Schmidt, Worley, ID, Mary Tom Christensen, Manhattan, MT, Laureen Manny Mendoza Schmidt, Taylor, TX, Kristine Phillip Huyck, St. Onge, SD, John Eileen, Hanska, MN, Michael, Boulder, MT; 26 grandchildren, 13 great-granchildren and six siblings, Bertice Pepin, Pottsboro, TX, Lois Orville Gullickson, Taylor, ND, Henry McKirdy, Alberton, MT, Wayne Maybelle McKirdy, Valley City, ND, Adele Grogan, Lincoln, MT and Stanlee Jack Kreitinger, Three Forks, MT. Preceding her in death were her parents, nine brothers and sisters and two infant children. A private prayer service will be held at Wright Funeral Home in Moorhead. Burial will be at Gladstone, ND at a later date.Carol's family may be contacted by mail at 510 24th Avenue South, Fargo, ND, 58103