Owen J. Schmidt

Northview ~ North Mankato Mortuary 2060 Commerce Drive North Mankato, MN 56003 (507) 388-2288 Owen Jon Schmidt, age 74, of North Mankato, died Wednesday, December 31, 2014, at Mayo Clinic Health System - Mankato. A Celebration of Owen's Life will be held at 4:00 p.m., Saturday, January 3, 2015, at Northview ~ North Mankato Mortuary, 2060 Commerce Drive. Visitation will be held 2-4 p.m. on Saturday at Northview. Owen was born January 24, 1940, in Winona. He was the son of Carroll and Bette (Rost) Schmidt. Owen was a graduate of Winona High School and a 1974 graduate of Winona State University. He served his country in the U.S. Army in Korea from 1962 until 1965. Owen was united in marriage to Joan Mason on January 5, 1963, in Winona. In 1975, he joined Minnesota Job Service in Mankato and was employed with them for over 20 years. Owen was a co-founder with Gretchen Etzell of the Mankato Merely Players, where he was active behind the scenes as a set designer. He enjoyed music and theater, and was an amateur HAM Radio operator. Owen was known for his great sense of humor. Owen is survived by his wife, Joan of North Mankato; two daughters, Helen (Tom) Bell of Ramsey and Greta Schmidt-Krohn of Chaska; two grandsons, Owen and Dan Bell; two brothers, Gary Schmidt of Winona and Ron Schmidt of Minneapolis; also several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents and a sister, Nancy.