Lt. Col. Thomas E. Schmid

[ironputts]

September 3, 2019

Lt. Col. Thomas E. Schmid
Gwinnett County Composite Squadron
Georgia Wing

Thomas Edward Schmid was born on February 1, 1960 in Fort Carson Colorado to Robert Schmid and Chun Ja "Judy" Schmid, who preceded him in death. He leaves behind his loving wife Deborah "Deb" and children, Jason Legault (son) and Tony Beasley, Scott Legault (son) and daughter Jennifer Ellen Schmid, his "Sweeters"; Tom's sister Diane Elaine Schmid of Texas including her son Vern Westfall, daughter Keisha Parman and her family; Tom's brother, Eric Schmid, wife Lori, and their two daughters Taylor Schmid with Hernan Hernandez, Hannah Schmid; and his step-mother Edith "Edie" Schmid; also, many loving cousins all over the country. Tom and Deb met on a Friday the 13th (after she was an hour late...but he waited) and they have been together for 28 years. This is why the number 13 has always been special to them. Deb had two small sons who Tom fell for as quickly as he did for Deb. Joining them in Scouts, playing legos, teaching them to drive, and showing them everything that they needed to succeed in life, most importantly to love your family. Then Jenny came into our family and Tom's heart grew bigger than anyone could believe. A mini Tom as she grew older, she walked, talked and did everything sooner than most children because Tom said we will speak to her not as a baby but as a child. He would also say her knowledge would be greater than his one day but her heart will always be as strong as her mom's. Tom loved being in the Civil Air Patrol (CAP). He was the Aerospace Officer for the Gwinnett Composite Squadron and Group 2. His passion for sharing with the cadets was amazing, from shooting rockets at Camp Briscoe, gazing into the milky way, or standing along side a road showing them how the planets line up using different sized balls. He always found innovative ways to expand their minds and taught them to think outside the box. Tom never cared for awards but there were many in his 22 years of voluntary service to the CAP. His awards included Public Affairs Officer of the year, Aerospace Officer of the year, and too many others to mention. Tom was also the "Coach" of Gwinnett's Color Guard for 7 years and was instrumental in the team winning the Wing Level competition and moving on to the Southeast Region competition. He was loved and respected by hundreds of cadets and will be sorely missed by the cadets as well as the seniors. Tom studied Astro-dynamics at UCCS and held two Masters degrees, one in Applied Mathematics and one in Physics. The family often referred to him as a walking encyclopedia. Deb sometimes called him "geek man" and lovingly referred to him as "Hubola". His quick wit and humor often made you stop and think before you were bowling over with laughter. He was a renaissance man and solved any problem by taking it apart and putting it back together. He loved to read and his knowledge retention was astounding.