The Rev. Herb Schmidt died peacefully of natural causes at this home in Santa Cruz surrounded by his family.

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We will be remembered as a loving husband, father, grandfather, and a courageous Campus Pastor working for issues of justice and peace in over 60 years of ministry. He was a cherished mentor to many pastors and church leaders in both the ELCA and LCMS.

Pastor Schmidt was born in Jefferson City, CO to Henry T. and Bertha Schmidt. He attended parochial school at Trinity Lutheran Church where he decided very early on to become a Pastor. His education continued at St. Paul's Academy and he graduated from St. Paul's College, Concordia MO in 1950, and from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis Mo in 1955.

In July of 1956 he married Grace Kitzman, the love of his life and partner in ministry for 67 years until her death in 2023.

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Pastor Schmidt began his ministry at Concordia College in Oakland in June of 1955. He was ordained Oct. 28, 1957 at Zion Lutheran Church in Oakland where he served as Pastoral Assistant. He also served as Interim Pastor at University Lutheran Chapel in Berkeley. In 1960 he accepted a call to Messiah Lutheran Church in Santa Cruz and was instrumental in leading the congregation to move to its present High St. location. While serving at Messiah, he helped start Mt. Calvary in Soquel. In 1968 Pastor Schmidt accepted a call to be Campus Pastor at the University of California at Santa Cruz, and coordinator of Campus Ministry for the CA, NV, & HI District of the LCMS. In 1978 he accepted a call to be Lutheran Campus Pastor for the ALC, LCA, & LCMS at the University of Arizona in Tucson AZ. In 1986 Pastor Schmidt accepted a position as Lutheran Campus Pastor at Stanford University and Pastor of University Lutheran Church in Palo Alto. He officially retired in 1998 and joined St. Stephen's, Santa Cruz.

 

In retirement he served as Interim Pastor at various ELCA churches in the Monterey Bay area, as Dean of the Monterey Conference. He also served five different times as a Volunteer in Mission with the Protestant Church in Bali. Indonesia. Throughout his ministry he was deeply involved in the Civil Rights struggle, the Anti-War Movement, and Peace and Justice Ministries in Central America throughout the Sanctuary Movement. He was also involved in Peace and Justice ministries in the West Bank and Gaza with Mid East Witness for Peace and in Haiti with Tet Ansam - a student volunteer corp.

In Santa Cruz, he helped start the University Religious Council and University Services Agency with his close friend Paul Lee. Herb was on the ombudsmen who helped save Wilder Ranch as a State Park. He was an active supporter of the Santa Cruz Resource Center for Nonviolence and many community, social, political, and environmental movements.

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He is survived by his and Grace's sons Conrad (Vicky), David, Richard (Marisa), Raymond (Karyn), and grandsons Konrad, Carlo, Richie, Makai, Johann, Nico, and granddaughter Courtnay. He is also survived by his sister-in-law Gick Schmidt of River Forest, IL. He was preceded in death by his wife Grace, brother Stephen A. Schmidt and sister Henrietta Kieschnick.