At the age of 72, Carol Schmidt a long time resident of Shakopee, passed away gracefully on Saturday, June 13, 2015, at Our Lady of Peace in St. Paul, MN.
A Celebration of Life Service will be held on Wednesday, June 17, at 6 pm, with a time of gathering starting at 4 pm, both at Ballard-Sunder Funeral and Cremation 833 South Marschall Road, Shakopee. Deacon Tim Helmeke will preside. Pall bearers will be Randy Bongard, Kevin Lake, Brian Poehler, Dan Schneider, Chuck Bisek and Tim Bisek. Carol will be laid to rest at a private family burial at Shakopee Catholic Cemetery, Shakopee, MN.
Carol Florence was born on August 8, 1942, in Minneapolis, MN, the older of two children to Robert Dwight and Mollie “Gussie” Julia (Moltzan) Houlton. She enjoyed spending her youth years riding her younger brother, Daniel’s bike and playing softball with the boys. Carol was involved in Girl Scouts from brownies to mariners. She even picked up the gift of playing the accordion as a young girl. Carol graduated from North High School in 1960.
After graduating, Carol attended a business school to learn how to wire IBM panels and key punch. Throughout her career, Carol worked at Powell’s Candy as a candy wrapper, at Northwestern Bell as a long distance operator, and was an at-home assembler of television switches for ITT Shadow, with the help of her family. She also catered weddings and other special gatherings at the Shakopee Knights of Columbus Hall. Carol worked as an insurance agent with American Family and was a receptionist for the St. Paul Companies. The best job she had was being a daycare provider for her grandchildren.
Carol’s life was enriched on September 8, 1962, when she became the wife of Joseph George Schmidt, at St. Anne’s Catholic Church in North Minneapolis. They honeymooned in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Carol and Joe settled their roots in Shakopee, where they were the proud parents of three sons, Peter, Robert and Joseph. In 1970, they moved the family to the ‘country’ just south of town and built a new home with over an acre of garden. From this garden, Carol canned the fruits of her labor, tomato juice, pickles, and pickled beets, just to name a few.
For Carol and Joe, their main focus was providing a good home life for the family. They were active in the boy’s activities, especially watching their sporting events. Carol was also a Cub Scout Den mother and she worked on the All Night Graduation Party in Shakopee for three years. Carol thoroughly enjoyed Dale Vaughn’s football classes for mothers. There are fond memories packing up the boys in the car heading to North Minneapolis for a day of shopping with Gussie and Uncle Dan. The day was always topped off with a special treat and lunch at McDonalds.
A love for cooking, Carol’s specialty was German Potato Salad, perogies and monster cookies. She had a love to go places near and far – Las Vegas, Arizona, Tennessee and Wisconsin, with her best friend, Donna Hallgren. They frequently spent time going to movies, traveling, shopping, playing the slots and trying new restaurants. Carol also enjoyed a trip to New York City and had a once in a lifetime trip to Europe with her brother and mother in 1984.
Carol’s greatest joy was being a grandma. Anytime was a good time to visit Gramma Carol, but the holidays were special as she made many delicious treats. Her home proudly displayed over 120 nut crackers and a monstrous Christmas tree. Carol relished having her family together, especially at Christmas.
Left to honor Carol’s life and will forever miss her presence are her sons, Peter (Jill) Schmidt and their children, Lucas and Nate; Robert Schmidt and his children, Courtney and Alex; Joseph Schmidt and his daughter, Alyssa; great-grandson, Robert; brother, Daniel (Barb) Houlton; other relatives and friends.
There to welcome Carol home in heaven is her husband, Joe (December 22, 1996); granddaughter, Heather Schmidt; parents, Robert and Gussie.
