Earl W. Schmidt, 88, of Birnamwood, passed away on Sunday, July 14, 2024, at his home accompanied by his loyal and loving wife Judy, his children, his grandchildren and the beauty of the surrounding woods he called his home for many, many years.

Earl was born on March 11, 1936, in Birnamwood, the son of Fred and Erma (Kufahl) Schmidt. Earl was born in the old family farmhouse (as where most farm children in those times) and entered this world at 13 lbs with teeth…already equipped to deal with the rigors of farm life and being number 7 in an eventual family of 11 siblings. This was probably a more impressive feat for his mother Erma whom he referred to as the toughest, hardest working and most nurturing individual (alongside Judy) whom instilled the four core values he carried his entire life: hard work, family, devotion to God and his word and a love of the land. At the age of 5 Earl began the normal routine of daily trips to the barn (morning and evening) to milk the 5 cows assigned to him to begin the required…and needed…effort it took to maintain a farm and large family in those days. Besides the daily work farm life required, Earl spent his childhood roaming the area fields, woods, and streams hunting, fishing, exploring and philosophizing….which he did continuously long into his 88 years of life. Earl attended a one room school at the corner of Hwy N and Riverview Road…a time when you herded the cows to pasture (and maybe fished for trout on the culverts you passed) as you walked to school daily on a dirt road…a time of pure innocence, pleasure and freedom that cannot be duplicated today in any form. Earl attended high school as a Birnamwood Oriole and was a proud member of State tournament appearances for basketball and baseball in 1953. There was no Class/Division System in those years and only the 8 best teams would make the trip to state…a feat that epitomized “small town pride” that Earl and his teammates cherished through their entire lives. Earl graduated as valedictorian of the Birnamwood class of 1953 in which his yearbook quotes “he could argue a point till it’s worn smooth.” Earl ventured from Birnamwood to the University of Wisconsin in the study of engineering. Due to the death of his father, Fred W. Schmidt in 1955, he withdrew for the university to operate the family farm with his brothers until 1959. Upon return to the University of Wisconsin, Earl played football for the Wisconsin Badgers and was a proud member of the 1959 Big Ten Championship team that played in the Rose Bowl (Earl actually got action in that game…as the Badgers were losing 44-8). To the best of our knowledge, Earl is the only Birnamwood High School graduate who ever played football for the University of Wisconsin. He received multiple degrees in agriculture, economics and public administration in 1964 which led to the next adventure in his life in South America. From June 1964 through July 1969 Earl was employed in Venezuela, the Dominican Republic and Brazil, principally with ACCION International, which specialized in the urban development of South America….oh the experiences and stories only Earl knew! On returning to Wisconsin, more education called and in September 1969 Earl began his studies toward his Doctor of Law degree at the University of Wisconsin Madison graduating in 1972. Ever the intellectual and a lifelong advocate of learning and education he was known to point out that his education at Wisconsin Madison spanned 3 decades. One of his favorite quotes highlighted on the never ending pursuit of learning….”knowledge is the geometric progression into the unknown”.

Earl was united in marriage to Judy Eckardt on March 11, 1974, in Antigo, Wisconsin. She survives. Alongside Judy, they raised 4 children: Jill, Karen, Brian and Brenda.

His legal career included District Attorney for Shawano and Menominee Counties from 1972 to 1974, State Representative to the Wisconsin Assembly from 1974 to 1982 and Circuit Judge for Menominee/Shawano Counties from 1983 upon retirement in 2002. At the end of his final term as the Honorable Judge Earl W. Schmidt he referred to his years presiding over the courts with…” I’ve always said I’m a tree farmer and a hobby judge”.

As stated above, Earl’s true passion came from being in the woods with his power saws and on this tractor, tending to his trees and trails, cutting balsam and cedar bough, and hauling pulp to Tilleda in his specially designed and welded trailer courtesy of Johnny Nousen. Of all his acres his most cherished parcel was his beloved “forty” on the bend of Whippoorwill Road which he laced with rock roads and trails and was home to his numerous pet grouse that would come at the sound of his old Honda four-wheeler and eat corn from his hand. In his earlier years many a grouse made it to the frying pan courtesy of his cherished double barrel Ithica 20 gauge but in more recent years his grouse were a protected species and any harm bestowed would most certainly have led to a hunting ban on the offender. Another focus was his longtime goal of converting the old cow pasture on the Ploeger land he purchased from his cousin and dear friend Jerry Ott in 1998 into a hardwood forest (which is now maturing into a reality). That project pitted him against the various critters that feasted and rubbed on young hardwood saplings in which he commented “I’ve got enough barbed wire out there to stop the German Army”. Earl enjoyed tapping maple trees…a yearly tradition from his youth…and spent many years in retirement tapping his own trees and cooking his own syrup. His grandsons have now re-purposed his long-time wood storage structure into a full on “maple sap shack” operation which Earl watched from his recliner with deep internal pride and satisfaction.

For the large percentage of his years Earl was an avid outdoorsman, in particular deer hunting, that were often referred to as the most exciting 9 days of the year. These adventures started in the hills and swamps of Pelican Lake with base camp at the Walter and Helen Krull farm where Earl tracked and harvested many bucks with his brothers Milton and Roy and numerous other characters, one that Earl mentioned in particular…Snowball, whom he referred to as “more fun than a one room school”. Later hunts spanned entire sections of forests and fields extending miles down Church Road incorporating the old stomping grounds he enjoyed of his farm youth. Earl was not shy in pulling the trigger and much lead exited the barrel of his trusty Model 94 Winchester Lever Action 30-30. Many stories can be told of that gun and the hunts it accompanied, none to be outdone by the Knife buck of 1957 where Earl fired 29 rounds and upon running out of bullets he dispatched the large buck with his brown handled hunting knife on the edge of Packards creek. The hunts didn’t end in the woods…countless hours were spent in the wood room underneath the garage butchering the deer in which every visible piece of red meat was removed before Earl deemed the job done sufficiently and worthy of his depression-era roots.

Other outdoor pursuits Earl enjoyed included his yearly trip to Chamberlain, South Dakota hunting pheasants (often accompanied by one of the several labrador retrievers he had owned over the years) and trout fishing stretches of the Embarrass River or Packards Creek on spring mornings or rainy days. When not hunting or fishing, Earl was a stellar softball pitcher back in his heyday and credited with at least three no hitters and one large knot on his son’s forehead.

Earl enjoyed music and was often accompanied by his guitar to offer a song on many occasions. He wrote many songs during his retirement and shared them with family, neighbors, friends and the community. His songs incorporated many of the things he loved, experiences he carried with him throughout his life and things he deemed important (and worthy of singing about). Favorite songs written by Earl included The Neighbor Song, Maple Sap Time, I Love My Country, The Grandchildren Song and Stirs up a Memory in Me. When not signing or playing his guitar, Earl was fond of polka music and polka dancing which he did until age caught up with him.

As mentioned above, Earl had sincere fondness for his neighbors and lived by the golden rule. 47 of Earl’s 88 years were spent living across the road from one of the all-time greatest neighbors ever…Norm Resch. Norm was always just a stone throws away and ever present in Earl’s life…whether if it was having a beer, helping Earl saw wood or fixing anything that needed Norm’s touch, singing along to Earl’s guitar or in the later days, being the daily friendly face to check on his dear friend.

Earl was a lifelong member of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Birnamwood, Wisconsin in which is grandparents helped establish in 1894. Earl was a man who loved God, loved his word, and never stopped learning from it or applying it in his life. For Earl, spiritual character was important as anything else. Additionally, Earl was a member of the State Bar of Wisconsin, Rotary Club of Shawano, the Farm Bureau and the Elks Club of Antigo, Wisconsin Lodge #662.

Earl is survived by his wife, Judy; children, Jill (Scott) Meverden of Birnamwood, Karen (Cory) Schairer of Birnamwood, Brenda (Justin) Zastrow of Birnamwood and Brian (Kelly) Schmidt of Woodbury, MN; 14 grandchildren, Mason, Evan, Carson and Connor Meverden, Marcus, Simon, Boone and Delilah Schairer, Megan Davis, Milo and Grace Zastrow and Max, Stella and Layla Schmidt; sisters, Carol Kocina of Maple Plaines, MN and Rachel Kluck of Wausau; brothers and sisters-in-law, Lavern (Sonny) Eckardt, Mike Eckardt, Judy Schmidt, Suzanne Schmidt and Carol Knapkavage, as well as many other relatives and friends.

Earl was preceded in death by his parents; siblings, Doris Schmidt, Murl Hahs, Verna Viegut, Erma Jean Schmidt, Donald Schmidt, Milton Schmidt, Roy Schmidt and David Schmidt and mother and father-in-law, Lavern and Josephine Eckardt.

A Funeral Service will be held at 11 AM on Saturday, July 20, 2024, at St. John Lutheran Church, Birnamwood. Rev. Jennifer Sosinski will officiate. Burial will be in the parish cemetery. Visitation will be on Friday, from 4-8 PM at Schmidt & Schulta Funeral Home, Birnamwood, and again on Saturday at the church, from 9 AM until the time of service.

Memories and messages of support may be shared at schmidtschulta.com.