Esley Earl Schmidt
Esley Earl Schmidt, 96, of Walton, Kansas, passed away Wednesday, November 30, 2022 at his home. He was born June 25, 1926 in Newton, Kansas, the son of Rudolf B. and Susie (Voth) Schmidt. He was a member of Tabor Mennonite Church, r u r a l , Newton, and graduated from Bethel College with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry. Esley was united in marriage to Mildred Ruth Jarboe on May 15, 1955 in Grandview, Missouri. She preceded him in death on September 28, 2004, after nearly 50 years of marriage. Esley worked in cancer research at KU Medical Center in Kansas City as a chemist prior to their marriage. He worked with his father-in-law and brother-in-law around Grandview, Missouri and Olathe, Kansas in the home construction business. Esley and Mildred moved to Texas near Corpus Christi where Esley worked as a chemical engineer for the Sinclair Refining Company. In 1960, they moved near Waverly, Kansas where Esley farmed, drove cement trucks, and worked as a courier for Pony Express. He was very active with the Waverly 4-H club where he served as an adult leader for many years. Esley and Mildred also spent many years placing over 200 foreign exchange students mostly in Coffey, Lyon and Osage Counties. Esley is survived by his four children, Rick (Cindy) Schmidt of Lyndon, Jay (Carolee) Schmidt of Waverly, Lori (Terry) Fischer of Waverly, and Neal Schmidt (Stephanie Farstvedt) of Pittsburg; sister, Hildred Schmidt of Walton; ten grandchildren, Kayla (Beau) Gray, Jenae (Scott) Tholen, Amy (Ryan) Heiman, Kevin (Jessica) Schmidt, Cody (Maci) Schmidt, Matthew (Jordan) Fischer, Jared Fischer, Haley Fischer, Ben Schmidt and Olivia Schmidt; and fifteen greatgrandchildren.
