Obituary for Robert Joseph "Bob" Schmitz
Bob passed away unexpectedly on March 15th at the age of 57. He was born on September 1, 1963 to Carl and Audrey Schmitz. He grew up in Colgate, Wisconsin with his brother and four sisters and graduated from Germantown High School in 1981.
Family was the most important thing to Bob, he loved having family gatherings during the holidays and out on the lake. Bob was always there for everyone and was more than happy to help people out however he could. He was honored to walk his niece/goddaughter Kristina down the aisle for her wedding. He was a great role model and source of advice and guidance for his sons, Billy and Brady. Bob loved his sons, they brought him so much joy and he was so proud of them. He was a loving husband and was blessed to spend 34 years of marriage with the love of his life, Julie. He adored her and the time they spent together was priceless to him. As everyone who knew Bob knows, he could be the life of the party but could also at times be a man of few words, when he said something, it was meaningful. Bob’s smile lit up his face and he had a twinkle in his eyes.
Bob was an avid outdoorsman, he was never happier than when he was sitting in a tree stand waiting for a big buck or hitting the water trying to catch the fish of a lifetime. Growing up, his family had a cottage up north on Crystal Lake where he spent his summers fishing with his beloved brother John and water skiing with his siblings. He always loved talking about his time spent up there with his family. He shared his childhood experiences with his sons, teaching them to hunt, fish, drive a boat, water ski and whatever else he could pass along that he was passionate about. Bob’s favorite times were when he was up north, away from the day to day worries of life, spending quality time with his friends and family.
Bob is survived by his wife, Julie Schmitz, she will forever miss him and their time together. His sons, William and Brady (Hollie Christensen) Schmitz, his father Carl Schmitz, his sisters Debbie (Fran) Schoofs, Carla Rohloff, Diane (Paul) Draak, Barb (Slade) Noreen and his brother John (Jamie) Schmitz. His mother-in law Sandra Neal, sister-in-law Amy Neal, brother-in-laws Steve (Lisa) Neal and Tim (Jennifer) Neal. He was a cherished uncle to his nieces and nephews, Jenna, Katie, Kristina, Kimberly, Brittany, Taylor, Eric, Callie, Curtis, Brock, Mitchell, Noah, Jacob, Mack, Cory, Colin, Melissa, Adam, Ryan, Kaylea, Alyssa, and Aidan. And of course, his golden retriever, Blu.
Bob is preceded in death by his much loved and missed mother, Audrey Schmitz. His father-in-law Wesley (Marcy) Neal Sr., and his brother-in-laws, Wes Neal Jr., Dan Neal, and Mark Rohloff.
We would like to send a special thank you to all of our family and friends for their love and support, and also a special thank you to Tim and Jenny Neal and Callie Schmitz for all their help with the preparations.
If Julie could say something to Bob right now it would be “Love you more”, it is something that they always said to each other.
The funeral service will be held on Sunday, March 21st at 3pm at Phillip Funeral Home Chapel (1420 W. Paradise Drive, West Bend, WI 53095). Visitation with family and friends will take place on Sunday March 21st from 1pm until 2:45 pm at the funeral home.
Family was the most important thing to Bob, he loved having family gatherings during the holidays and out on the lake. Bob was always there for everyone and was more than happy to help people out however he could. He was honored to walk his niece/goddaughter Kristina down the aisle for her wedding. He was a great role model and source of advice and guidance for his sons, Billy and Brady. Bob loved his sons, they brought him so much joy and he was so proud of them. He was a loving husband and was blessed to spend 34 years of marriage with the love of his life, Julie. He adored her and the time they spent together was priceless to him. As everyone who knew Bob knows, he could be the life of the party but could also at times be a man of few words, when he said something, it was meaningful. Bob’s smile lit up his face and he had a twinkle in his eyes.
Bob was an avid outdoorsman, he was never happier than when he was sitting in a tree stand waiting for a big buck or hitting the water trying to catch the fish of a lifetime. Growing up, his family had a cottage up north on Crystal Lake where he spent his summers fishing with his beloved brother John and water skiing with his siblings. He always loved talking about his time spent up there with his family. He shared his childhood experiences with his sons, teaching them to hunt, fish, drive a boat, water ski and whatever else he could pass along that he was passionate about. Bob’s favorite times were when he was up north, away from the day to day worries of life, spending quality time with his friends and family.
Bob is survived by his wife, Julie Schmitz, she will forever miss him and their time together. His sons, William and Brady (Hollie Christensen) Schmitz, his father Carl Schmitz, his sisters Debbie (Fran) Schoofs, Carla Rohloff, Diane (Paul) Draak, Barb (Slade) Noreen and his brother John (Jamie) Schmitz. His mother-in law Sandra Neal, sister-in-law Amy Neal, brother-in-laws Steve (Lisa) Neal and Tim (Jennifer) Neal. He was a cherished uncle to his nieces and nephews, Jenna, Katie, Kristina, Kimberly, Brittany, Taylor, Eric, Callie, Curtis, Brock, Mitchell, Noah, Jacob, Mack, Cory, Colin, Melissa, Adam, Ryan, Kaylea, Alyssa, and Aidan. And of course, his golden retriever, Blu.
Bob is preceded in death by his much loved and missed mother, Audrey Schmitz. His father-in-law Wesley (Marcy) Neal Sr., and his brother-in-laws, Wes Neal Jr., Dan Neal, and Mark Rohloff.
We would like to send a special thank you to all of our family and friends for their love and support, and also a special thank you to Tim and Jenny Neal and Callie Schmitz for all their help with the preparations.
If Julie could say something to Bob right now it would be “Love you more”, it is something that they always said to each other.
The funeral service will be held on Sunday, March 21st at 3pm at Phillip Funeral Home Chapel (1420 W. Paradise Drive, West Bend, WI 53095). Visitation with family and friends will take place on Sunday March 21st from 1pm until 2:45 pm at the funeral home.