"Whenever a community project needed equipment and workers, the Schmidt family was there with Dan leading the way. Such as hauling mats from one school building to another, moving football equipment, building a playground, etc. Dan will be greatly missed by many, including the Durbin Family."
In loving memory of
Daniel A Schmidt
March 8, 1957 - August 1, 2025
Daniel A. Schmidt, 68, of Ames, passed away on Friday, August 1, 2025, at Israel Family Hospice House in Ames, Iowa, after a year-long fight with cancer and chemo.
Funeral services for Dan Schmidt will be held at 2:00 PM on Saturday, August 9, 2025, at Gilbert Lutheran Church, 135 School Street, in Gilbert, Iowa, with Pastor Christian Johnson officiating. Serving as honorary pallbearers are: Greg Kautz, Bob Kremers, Jon Mullenbach, Matt Rhodes, and Roger Underwood. Dan Schmidt will be laid to rest in a private family ceremony.
Link to Dan Schmidt's Funeral Service Livestream: https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fus02web.zoom.us%2Fj%2F82485192704%3Fpwd%3DeopveG6tFEsdrAY3RkMOaE7LFqK28z.1&data=05%7C02%7C%7Cedb7e39c12c74758ef7408ddd45c0405%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C638900213844911745%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=RWoPR3dVSlVtfs5aqKp4iB0FRn%2BR2zKuBT07ezEWiOA%3D&reserved=0
A gathering of family and friends will immediately follow the funeral service at the Ames Moose Lodge, 644 West 190th Street, in Ames, continuing until 6:00 PM. Join the family to share your Digger Dan stories!
Visitation for Dan Schmidt will be held from 4:00 - 6:00 PM on Friday, August 8, 2025, at Gilbert Lutheran Church.
Daniel Arthur Schmidt was born to Kitty (Wormley) and Dan Schmidt on March 8, 1957. Danny was the eldest of the seven children who lived at 1026 East High Street in Davenport, Iowa. In hopes of keeping his busy feet and hands productive, Kitty enrolled Danny in competitive swimming at a young age. Four to six hours of swim practice every day over the next 15 plus years, brought many accolades to Smitty, both locally and nationally.
After graduating from Davenport Central High School in 1975 and earning a swimming scholarship, Dan attended Iowa State University, where he joined Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity. As a TKE, Dan made life-long friendships. Through Homecoming, Greek Week and VEISHEA, he discovered new and unique ways to build and develop his interests and talents.
In 1979, Dan married Chris Youngblade, and together, they built a life in Ames/Gilbert with four sons: Dan (Joelle) of Ames, Brian (Hannah) of Gilbert, Brad (Megan) of Chicago, Illinois, and Erik (Stephanie) of Littleton, Colorado, and five grandchildren - Daniel, Zayne, Finley, Tyson, and Sydney.
Dan's strong work ethic laid the base for a construction career path patterned after his father's: "Be the first to arrive and the last to leave the job site"; "If you're going to do a job, do it right"; and "Leave the site in better condition than you found it." Dan's career was marked by dedication, excellence, and serving others.
Dan joined Ames Trenching in the early 1980's, and quickly found there wasn't a dirt project he was afraid to attack. Anything that went in the ground, Dan did it. We often told people, "Work is Dan's hobby." Some people love to vacation; Dan loved to work. This past year, Dan and sons Danny and Brian purchased Ames Trenching, and his work legacy will continue on.
Solidly woven into his work/ hobby was Dan's commitment to helping others and community service. For a decade or two, there weren't many Eagle Scout projects completed in Gilbert that Dan and at least one or two of his sons weren't somehow a part of. In 2007, Dan and Jon Mullenbach, one of his "work partners in crime" received the Governor's Volunteer of the Year Award for all their volunteer work in and around the Gilbert School District.
Predeceased by his parents and in-law's (Dan & Arjes Youngblade), Dan's legacy is carried on by his wife Chris, four sons and their spouses, and his grandchildren; his siblings: Julie Schmidt Urban of Davenport, Ann (Doug) Vose of Mankato, Minnesota, Mary (Bill) Collins of Davenport, Tom (Jay) of Atoka, Tennessee, Sarah (Scott) Paller of Davenport, and Mike (Becky) of Wilton; sisters/ brothers in-law's: Beth (Pat) McCrann of Denver, Colorado, Dan (Brigid) Youngblade of Sioux City, Alan (Rhonda) Youngblade of Centennial, Colorado, Mary (Kelly) Scott of Johnston, and David (Julie) Youngblade of Dallas Center. Many nieces, nephews, and cousins will also feel his absence, along with wide circle of friends and colleagues.
Dan Schmidt will be remembered as "one tough SOB" who: rarely turned down a job; thrived on working and helping others; and has left his mark in the dirt all over Story County and central Iowa. His too often "colorful language", strong work ethic, and unique problem-solving strategies will be deeply missed by all who had the pleasure of knowing or working him.
Special thanks to Dr. Austin Greco, the entire staff at Bliss Cancer Center, and the exceptional staff at Hospice House for their outstand skills and care as we walked this path through cancer.
In lieu of flowers, two Memorial funds have been established in Dan's name: the Dan Schmidt TKE Scholarship, ISU Alumni Association and the Israel Family Hospice House, Mary Greeley Foundation. Memorial contributions for these two funds may be sent to the attention of Dan's family, c/o Grandon Funeral and Cremation Care, 414 Lincoln Way, Ames, Iowa, 50010.
And to support one of his greatest prides, a "Swear Jar" will be present and the proceeds will be used to place a "Dan Schmidt red bench" near Slide Mountain on the Gilbert Elementary playground.
Tributes
"All of us at Kurrent Electric are melancholy with this news. We all know and refer to Dan as "Digger Dan" with fondness. We will inevitably miss him, his work ethic and problem solving. We pray for peace and comfort for his family. Yes!!, he is extremely proud of his family and talked of his children and grandchildren with an overwhelming twinkle in his eyes. RIP "Digger Dan", forever we will remember. Brett Krogman and the Kurrent Electric Family"
"I am saddened to hear the news of his passing, but may we all be comforted knowing that he is now at peace. Many thoughts and prayers for his family while they navigate the days ahead as his absence will leave a large void for so many. He will be missed by many. If you didn't know him before- one would not have ever known he was fighting a battle. He may have been sick, however, he never complained about it, but only about the inconveniences of something on a project not working in his favor! I will miss seeing him in the office during his AM stop. I always knew how Dan's day was going when I asked- he'd give me the eyeroll, shake his head while putting his head down, chuckle, and walk out the door! "
"You always new you could call on Dan just wish his family well. I wish that all the people including myself that he was there for when needed could have been there to help him fight his last fight."
"I hate to hear about Dan. We always got along great. While working as summer help at Ames Trenching Bill dropped me off and Dan took me down the flag line into the woods about a 1/2 mile and told me to dig an 8 foot x 8 foot x 3 foot deep hole. About the time he showed up on the trencher he went by about 5 yards away and shut off the trencher. He tipped his hat back in Dan Fashion and I said what?s the plan with my hole? He said nothing, fill it up. During my formative years at Ames Trenching Dan was always there pushing those around him to go harder! He?ll always be a part of my life and while I haven?t seen him in years the last time we saw each other he told me about his family and was brimming with pride. God Speed Dan!"
"My condolences to Chris and the family. I met Dan in AAU swimming when we were 8 years old. We became fast friends and had a great time swimming and hanging out throughout high school. I had not seen Dan in many years, so it saddens me that a great person and family man is taken from us far too early. Rest in peace my friend."
"Our sympathy to the Schmidt family. Many Gilbert families, including ours, were blessed by Dan?s hard work, community service and generosity. He will be remembered through his amazing family. The DeZonia family "
"I'm sorry to say that I lost touch with Dan after high school because, as Mary has told me, he rarely left Ames and was always working. He inherited his great work ethic from his parents and I'm sure it was part of his success in swimming. He and I were friends from kindergarten through CHS and he (and I'm sure Kitty) were why I got into swim team. Nobody worked harder in swim practice than him."
"Good man that has an incredible family. A legacy to be proud of. Prayers to his family"
"The best of men. Hardest worker ever. RIP John Newton, Venker Golf Course"
"Always enjoyed hauling concrete to Dan in the early 90s and hanging out in there shop on Friday nights. I always said Dan could out work 3 guys at a time. He was always fun and kept things interesting. Going to miss you Dan Kent R Keech "