Arvin W. Schmidt age 61 of Lincoln, Nebraska passed away at his home with family at his side on Thursday, September 29, 2011 after a courageous and inspiring battle with cancer. Arvin was born July 8, 1950, in Tilden, NE to Ernie and Angelina (Roewert) Schmidt. He attended Tilden Elementary School and was the first graduating class of Elkhorn Valley High School in 1968. He then moved to Lincoln and attended the Lincoln School of Commerce. In 1976 Arvin started his professional career as a commercial underwriter working for several insurance companies through the years. Arvin was currently working for Allied Insurance in the Personal Lines Processing Center.
Survivors include his life partner of 21 years Lee Foster of Lincoln; brother, Herman Schmidt of Stanton; sister, LaVerda (Keith) Clark of Elgin; niece, Brenda (Matt) Ruhrer of Wahoo; nephews, Brad (Will) Clark of Omaha and Bruce (Heather) Clark of Elgin, aunts, uncles, cousins and a host of friends. He was preceded in death by his parents.
The meaning of Arvin’s name was “friend of the people” and anyone that knew him would have to agree that he lived up to his name. Arvin always had a positive attitude about life and always tried to make others see the joy in the world. He never met a stranger and always rallied for the underdog.
One of Arvin’s adages was “Don’t worry about the destination, just enjoy the journey.” Arvin enjoyed his journey through life and though it was too short for him and all that knew and loved him, another favorite adage was “Life is not measured by the number of breaths that we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.”
We would like to thank the entire staff at Southeast Nebraska Cancer Center, Bryan/LGH, UNO Medical Center, and HoriSun Hospice for the wonderful care and treatment Arvin received during his illness. We feel truly blessed to have had such loving caregivers.
There will be no visitation.
A celebration of life service will be held on Wednesday, October 5, 2011 at 11:00 A.M. at Wyuka Funeral Home Chapel.
Interment will be in Wyuka Cemetery.
Memorials may be directed to Tabitha, Lincoln Community Playhouse or the Center for People in Need.
He will be missed by many. He was always so kind and thoughtful. He was a lover of theatre. He encouraged me in my theatre pursuits. He was always in attendance at every play I was in. I loved seeing him at work and chatting with him about the latest plays we saw. I will always remember him as a wonderful friend and co-worker.
Arvin was a wonderful co-worker and will be missed by many. I will miss his positive attitude towards life and the smile he always seemed to have. Rest in Paradise Arvin.
Arvin was a neighbor and friend in childhood. I am glad he ultimately found his way in life, and lived as he knew he should. I did not know him in his later years, but have fond memories of a good person.
I always told Arvin that he was the happiest man that I’ve ever met! He was so positive no matter what was happening. I couldn’t help but smile everytime I interacted with him! He always talked about how thankful he was for a wonderful partner and great co-workers! He will be missed!
Carmen RN
I worked with Arvin many years ago in the Customer Service Dept. at Carol Wright Gifts. He was a really great person to work with.
Arvin was a joy to work with and knew how to make you smile even if you were having a bad day. He will be missed by many, but knowing he had such an influence on so many people is very refreshing. So many good memories to remember him by. Rest in peace my friend.
Arvin was a very wonderful sweet person that will be missed very much. My thoughts and prayers are with his family.
Arvin and Lee have been dear friends of mine for several years. I will miss Arvin for a number of reasons, but it was his appreciation for all the little things in life that I will always remember.
Arvin was a wonderful storyteller. I went to their home on many Friday nights after work and would end up staying longer than intended because we would get into discussions about everything. Lee would turn the radio on in the background (Don Gill) and Arvin would go into great detail about all things in his life.
He would talk about working at Kings Drive-In when he first got to Lincoln, and he could still describe the size of the burgers, the smells of the place, etc., and you truly felt like you were there with him.
He told wonderful stories about growing up in Tilden, his family and specifically his mother, who he is now with again. He would honor his mom by making her incredible potato salad, the best that I have ever had in my life!
I could go on and on about Arvin, but I’ll end by simply saying I will miss you bud and I’m proud of the fight you put up this past year with cancer. Your pain is now gone, and that helps to ease the pain for us down here who had the pleasure of calling you friend.
Arvin was a wonderful soul. He will be missed by many.
My baby brother, I will miss you always !