Jerry R. Schmidt, 87, of Sioux Falls, died on Saturday, November 25, 2023, at Good Samaritan Village.

Jerome Ray Schmidt was born in Beatrice, NE, on July 2, 1936, to Raymond Herman and Lillian Louise (Becker) Schmidt.  He was raised on a farm in rural Jefferson County, Nebraska, near Daykin.  Jerry graduated in 1953, top 10 (out of 12) in his class, from Daykin High School, where he was active in baseball, basketball and track.  He then attended Fairbury (NE) Junior College, where he played football and graduated in 1955 with a degree Ag Economics.  He was drafted into the Army in 1955 and served for two years at Ft. Chaffee, AR and Ft. Sill, OK.

Jerry was united in marriage to Barbara Dinkel on May 24, 1959, in Lincoln, NE. Jerry attended the University of Nebraska Ag Campus and was employed with the USDA Soil Conservation Service. In 1961 the family moved to Fullerton, NE, where he was employed at the Fullerton Elevator.  The family moved to Avoca, IA, in 1965, Marcus, IA, in 1969, to De Smet, SD, in 1974. Jerry was a feed consultant from 1965-74 with Cooper Feeds and BP Feeds, and from 1974-81 with GTA Feeds. He then worked for the grain marketing division of Cenex/Harvest States from 1982 until retiring in 1999.  In 1987 they moved to Canton, SD, where he managed the grain terminal for a time. Jerry worked for Newton Hills State Park until Barbara retired and they moved to Sioux Falls in 2001.

Jerry was a member of several Lutheran Church councils, sang in the choirs and taught Sunday School for 15 years. He was a member of the Jaycees and Lions International and attained his private pilot license in 1976. He logged 300 hours as a member of the De Smet Flying Club.  He also enjoyed water skiing, hunting, golfing, fishing, and square dancing. He and Barbara were also Augustana (SD) University Boosters and enjoyed attending basketball and softball games. Jerry also mentored students in the Sioux Falls School system.

Grateful for having shared his life are his wife Barbara, of Sioux Falls; a daughter Julie (Rick) Swenson, of Buffalo, MN; two sons, Jay (Jan) Schmidt, of Sioux Falls, and Robb (Barb) Schmidt, of Rapid City; a sister, Jeanne Huff, of York, NE; six grandchildren and six great grandchildren, Colette (Eric) Gilbert (Grace, Gunnar, and Amelia), Corey Swenson, Carly (Craig) Smith (Rowynn, Ryker, and Roslynn), Kylie Schmidt, and Ryan and Blake Schmidt, and a sister-in-law, VeLoyce Schmidt, of Santa Barbara, CA.

He was preceded in death by his parents, a brother Jim, and three brothers-in-law, Jerry Yowell, Tom Huff and Alvin Dinkel.

Services will be at 2:00 pm on Monday, December 4, at Peace Lutheran Church in Sioux Falls.  Visitation will be one hour prior to services.

Burial with military honors will be at 11:00 am on Tuesday, December 5, at the South Dakota State Veterans Cemetery in Sioux Falls.