John F. Schmitz, son of Jacob and Genevieve of Adams, Minnesota was born November 6th, 1934. He passed away in Bettendorf, Iowa on July 5th, 2026 at the age of 91. He was preceded in death by his younger siblings, Paul and Genevieve.

      John attended Adams High School and graduated from the University of Minnesota, College of Agriculture. He married Kathleen “Kay” Kinney of St. Paul, Minnesota, on August 9th, 1958. John served in the Minnesota National Guard and spent the entirety of his working career with George A. Hormel Company, retiring as a plant manager of the Hormel plant in Davenport, Iowa.

      He is lovingly survived by his wife, Kay, of 67 years; his children, Steve, Mark (Katherine), Karl (Jody), Martha, Susan (Tom). His cherished grandchildren are Jennifer (Matt), Joe (Shelby), Madeline, Paul (Janel), Henry (Brook), Matt (Chloe), Mark, Jack (Molly), Amelia, Ethan, Samuel, Kate, and Eleanor. He has six great grandchildren, Elliett, Carson, Loralei, Liam, Vivian and Maya.

      John was an active member in Gyros and the Outing Club as well as a parishioner of Our Lady of the River. He had a passion for woodworking which dovetailed into volunteering for many organizations including, but not limited to, Friendly House, Habitat for Humanity, Clinton Showboat theatre, and Bolls General store.

      He was an avid hockey fan and enjoyed coaching youth teams. He also shared his business acumen by volunteering in Junior Achievement. In addition to woodworking, his hobbies included hunting, fishing, bicycling, and cross-country skiing. In his later years, he enjoyed gardening, golfing, painting, traveling, and boating on the Mississippi River.

       A memorial service will be held at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 11th at McGinnis-Chambers Funeral Home, Bettendorf. Visitation will be from 10:30 a.m. until the time of service. Memorials may be made to Friendly House, Habitat for Humanity or a Library of your choice