Memorial Trees
T
Tribute Store
May 12, 2020
K
Kate Yelvington
May 08, 2020
T
Tribute Store
April 09, 2020
S
Susan and Phillip Knaack
March 31, 2020
V
Val and Roger Vetter
March 31, 2020
Memorial trees planted for:
Russell P. Schuchmann
Russ Schuchmann, 81, of Grinnell, died on Saturday, March 28, 2020 at the Mayflower Community Health Care Center in Grinnell. A private family graveside service will be held at Hazelwood Cemetery in Grinnell. Memorials may be designated to St. John’s Lutheran Church or to the Grinnell High School Fine Arts Alliance, mailed in care of the Smith Funeral Home, PO Box 368, Grinnell, Iowa 50112. Memories and condolences may be shared with Russ’ family online at www.smithfh.com. Russell Paul Schuchmann was born on November 7, 1938, in Strawberry Point, Iowa, to George and Mae (Streicher) Schuchmann. He graduated from Strawberry Point High School in 1956. At Iowa State University, he graduated in 1960 with a degree in electrical engineering and in 1961 with a degree in mechanical engineering. He was a member of Phi Kappa Phi, Eta Kappa Nu, Tau Beta Pi and Pi Tau Sigma honorary academic societies. He later earned a master’s degree in electrical engineering from Marquette University. In 1962 he married Mary Jo Helscher of Cedar Rapids. They had two children, Sarah and Joel. They lived first in Racine, Wisconsin and then moved to Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin, where they lived for 23 years. They retired to Grinnell in 2001. Russ’s first job was at General Motors in Milwaukee, where he worked on aerospace projects, including the design of the internal navigation system for the Boeing 747 aircraft. In 1970 he took a job with Cutler-Hammer (later Eaton Corporation), a maker of electrical and electronic controls. Among his 14 U.S. patents is a patent for the ground fault interrupter that is now required in electrical connections in all bathrooms, kitchens and outdoor locations. Russ loved music of all kinds and was a co-founded and played banjo in the Prairie Jewel Dixieland Band. He was a member of St. John’s Lutheran Church, Beta Sigma Psi, a Lutheran fraternity. Most of all, Russ was an engineer. As a kid growing up on a farm, he built a motor for anything that could move. As an adult, he took great pleasure in fixing things and helping neighbors and friends with household repairs. Even in the advanced stage of Alzheimer’s, he talked randomly about ways to “do things better.” He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Dr. George F. Schuchmann. He is survived by his wife, Mary of Grinnell; daughter, Sarah Patterson (Jeff Versteegh) of Newton, Iowa; son, Joel (Michelle) Schuchmann of Jacksonville Beach, Florida; grandson, Peyton Patterson of Ankeny; step-granddaughter, Cassidy (William) Sayers of Austin, Texas, and their daughter, Josie; his sister-in- law, Martha Schuchmann of Knoxville, Tennessee; and six nephews and nieces.November 7, 1938 - March 28, 202011/07/193803/28/2020
Share Obituary: