Wesley Schmalz, Jr.

Wesley C. Schmalz Jr., 75, of Sherrard, Illinois passed away on Tuesday, June 8, 2021 at his residence surrounded by his loving family.

Graveside services will be held at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday at the Rock Island Arsenal National Cemetery.  Those wishing to attend should meet at McGinnis-Chambers Funeral Home in Bettendorf, Iowa on Thursday by 11:00 a.m.  Per his wishes, cremation rites have been accorded.  Memorials may be directed to Genesis Cancer Center in Silvis, Illinois or to Genesis Hospice.

Wesley was born on January 9, 1946 in Davenport, the son of Wesley and Edith (Toft) Schmalz.  He attended Grassy Lane, a one-room schoolhouse in rural Scott County, Iowa. Wesley later graduated from the inaugural graduating class at North Scott High School.  He continued his education at Scott Community College, where he studied electronics. In 1967 he joined the U.S. Navy.  Wesley served during the Vietnam War on the USS Richard E. Byrd.  On August 2, 1967, he married Trudy Laamberton in Baltimore, Maryland.  He later married Grace (Coradi) Keys on May 21, 2009 in Aledo, Illinois.  Wesley worked for Rockwell Automation as a service engineer.  In his spare time he enjoyed fishing.

Those left to honor his memory are his wife, Grace Schmalz of Sherrard; daughter, Andrea (fiancé, Charlie) Sanderlin of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; step-children, Tom (fiancé, Lynne) Keys of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, Jerry (Patti) Keys of Woodward, Iowa, Helen (Danny) Woodard of Bellevue, Nebraska, Leo (Veronika) Keys of Easton, North Carolina; three grandchildren, four great-grandchildren; 8 step-grandchildren, 8 step-great-grandchildren; and siblings, Eleanor Barker of Eureka, Missouri, John Schmalz of Princeton, Iowa.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a sister in infancy, Sheryl.