Roma L. Schmidt

Roma Louise Garber Schmidt, age 90, died peacefully in Hesston, Kansas, on January 9, 2024. Roma was born to Frank and Christina Miller Garber on September 18, 1933, in Hutchinson, Kansas. She was the fifth child, fourth girl of six children. She spent much of her youth living in Alpha, Minnesota. She often shared, “I grew up in the Depression but never knew I was deprived.” Roma attended Hesston College where she met Leo G. Schmidt of Greensburg, Kansas, during their first year at Hesston College, Hesston, KS, and they married in 1954. They were married for nearly 70 years. After her marriage to Leo, Roma happily spent most of her time as mother and helper. She worked part-time in several of the hospitals where Leo worked and also volunteered in the auxiliary groups. Roma had many interests. She was an avid reader. She grew up in a storytelling family and she loved to continue telling those stories. She was also a prolific writer and wrote multiple books and poems and kept a journal much of her life. She was rarely without a pen, pencil or art tool in hand. As a young mother, she sewed many a dress for herself and her daughters and even a vest or shirt to match for her son. At the age of 30, she decided to “learn one new thing a year.” She took classes in drawing, painting, writing, and cake decorating. She and Leo went arrowhead and rock hunting. She also learned to play various musical instruments. They loved cheering on their grandchildren in their various activities. The immediate family spent a week vacationing together “somewhere new” for over forty years. Roma and Leo traveled to all fifty states and multiple countries around the world. While living in Akron, PA, Roma finished college and received her bachelor's degree in food and nutrition at Albrecht University in 1982. She worked in the dietary department at Hesston College for multiple years as well as worked and volunteered at Schowalter Villa while Leo was CEO. Leo and Roma lived in multiple towns throughout their lives, moving every year for the first 12 years of their shared lives: Colorado (Pueblo, Glenwood Springs, Boulder, and LaJunta), Iowa (Iowa City, Boone), Wisconsin (Eau Claire), Pennsylvania (Akron), and Kansas (Hesston). Roma came full circle in her life, beginning and ending her life in Kansas, where she loved the beautiful sunsets and the wide-open fields of waving golden wheat. Roma was baptized into the Mennonite Church as a youth. She was a long-time member of Hesston Mennonite Church, Hesston, KS, and believed deeply in peace and justice for all people. She was generous with her time and talents and shared them widely in her church community. Along with her husband, Leo, Roma is survived by their three children: Laurel and her husband Ronald Hertzler from Telford, PA, Lana and her husband David Griffis from Towanda, KS, and Lyndon and his wife Leslie from Lutz, FL. She is survived by 15 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren. Roma is also survived by her sisters, Willa Nafziger and Christina Bachman, multiple nieces and nephews, and hundreds of Miller cousins. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her brother Duane and sisters Rebecca and Frances. Roma’s memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, January 20, 2024, at Hesston Mennonite Church, Hesston, KS. Private interment will take place at Eastlawn Cemetery, Hesston, KS. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be directed in Roma’s memory to Mennonite Central Committee (online donations may be made at https://mcc.org/donate) in care of Miller-Ott Funeral Home, PO Box 32, Hesston, KS 67062.

Roma L. Schmidt

September 18, 1933 - January 9, 2024