Alvin Schmidt

Alvin Schmidt, 83, of Dearborn, an Air Force veteran and a retired chief master sergeant and weapons technician for the Montana Air National Guard, died of natural causes Sunday, October 23, 2011, at a local care facility.His memorial service, with military honors, will be held at Hillcrest Lawn Chapel on Tuesday, November 1, 2011, at 10 a.m. Schnider Funeral Home is handling arrangements.Alvin was born May 1, 1928, to Gottfried and Ottilia (Mertz) Schmidt in Marsh, Montana, in Dawson County. He was raised and educated in the Marsh/Mildred area, graduating from Mildred High School.He enlisted in the Air Force in 1948 and served in Guam and Germany. He married Eleanor Schneider on April 10, 1953.He worked for Buffalo Rapids Irrigation until 1960, when he moved to the Great Falls area. He joined the MANG in 1961, and retired in 1988 with the rank of chief master sergeant.In addition to farming and ranching while raising quarter horses, Alvin was a lifelong Cleveland Indians fan. He enjoyed watching his children and grandchildren play sports and relaxing on his porch at Dearborn.Survivors include his wife, Eleanor Schmidt of Dearborn; a daughter, Cindy (Stephen) Banich of Libby; sons Ken (Chris) Schmidt, Rex (Joanie) Schmidt and Rich (Elisabeth) Schmidt, all of Great Falls, and Joe (Lisa) Schmidt of Power; sisters Lorraine Ban Grist of Laurel, Edna Straub of Baker, Mariam (Jack) McMurry of Farson, WY, and Eldora (Calvin) Fischer of Fairfield; a brother, Rev. Edward Schmidt of Moses Lake, WA; 13 grandchildren, Mike, Katea (Mike), Lynn, Daniel, Emily, Rylee, Kyle, Roygen, Nellie, Jake, Logan, Brooke and Raygen; one great-grandchild; and his beloved pet, Chubacca.He was preceded in death by a great-grandson, Caleb Mitchell Schmidt.