Warren Robert Schmitt, age 101, passed away on April 9, 2022, at Pleasant Hills in Hutchinson. He was born on March 18, 1921 in Hutchinson to Albert and Elsie (Benscheidt) Schmitt. He graduated from Hutchinson High School in 1939 and from Hutchinson Junior College in 1941. He also attended the University of Kansas and Carnegie Tech in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania.
Warren enlisted in the Army following the attack on Pearl Harbor and served as a Sargeant in the 285th Field Observation Battalion. He landed at Utah beach two weeks after D-Day and served in a forward observation unit during the Battle of the Bulge. He was one of the few survivors of the Malmedy Massacre, in Belgium on December 17th, 1944, and later provided eyewitness testimony in the Nuremberg war crime trials.
He and Phyllis J. Rostine were married on June 22, 1946, at the First Presbyterian Church in Hutchinson and they shared 61 years together before her death in 2008, They had four children, all currently living in Hutchinson: Linda Schmitt (Brian Lingle), Kyle Philbeck (Tom), Lisa Barker (Stan), and Phil Schmitt (Cindy).
After returning from the war, Warren joined his family’s business, Western Foods. In 1954, he left to start his own homebuilding business, Warren Schmitt Construction Company. It evolved to become Warren Schmitt Realty and Construction in 1962 and Warren Schmitt Century 21 in 1979. Over the course of his career, he built close to 400 homes and commercial buildings in the greater Hutchinson area, designing many of them himself. The additions that he developed include: Prairie Village, Northglenn, and Kisiwa Creek. Warren was a founding member and president of the Hutchinson Homebuilders Association and was president of the Kansas State Homebuilder’s Association. He also served as president of the Hutchinson Board of Realtors and served on the Hutchinson Planning Commission.
Warren had many interests and hobbies. He was an accomplished wood carver and enjoyed building and flying radio controlled model planes with the Hutch Bunch RC Club. He was an early member and chief cook of the Ninnescah Recreation and Hunting Club. In retirement, he enjoyed being a docent at the Cosmosphere and was part of the Liberty Bell 7 restoration team. He was a member of the First Presbyterian Church.
He was known for his eternal optimism and positive approach to life that he kept until his last day. His greatest joy was his family.
Warren is survived by his children and 9 grandchildren: Nate Schmidt (Jennifer) Birmingham, AL; Evan Schmidt (Patrick Huber) Davis, CA; Mike Schmidt (Abigail Chin) Arlington, MA; Christopher Philbeck (Sarah) Atlanta, GA; Dan Barker (Nicole) Lenexa; Ross Barker (Chelsea) Olathe, KS; Brett Barker (Abby) Olathe; Alex Schmitt, Wichita; Zach Schmitt, Kansas City, MO, and 15 great-grandchildren.
Warren was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Phyllis in 2008, brother Gene who died in Belgium in the Battle of the Bulge, infant son Michael, and granddaughter Brooke Barker.
Warren will be buried with his wife, and granddaughter, Brooke in a private inurnment at Memorial Park Cemetery, Hutchinson, with military honors conducted by the Fort Riley Honor Guard.
A celebration of his life will be held in the Sky Lab room at the Cosmosphere at 1100 North Plum St. from 12:00 to 3:00 on Saturday, May 21, 2022.
Please stop by for an opportunity to share memories and stories of our dad as we honor his amazing long life. There will be a short program beginning at 1:00 p.m. Parking will be available in the south Cosmosphere lot and dress is casual.