Orvel M. Schmit, age 97, of Huron, passed away on Monday, January 21, 2019 at Huron Regional Medical Center in Huron. His Mass of Christian Burial will be at 11:00 AM, Saturday, January 26, 2019 at Holy Trinity Catholic Parish in Huron with military honors by Huron Veteran's Council, with burial to follow at Restlawn Memory Gardens Cemetery. Visitation, with the family present will be from 5-7 PM on Friday, January 25 at Welter Funeral Home; or one hour prior to the service at the church on Saturday.

Orvel Schmit was born on May 28, 1921 to Peter and Ida (Yotter) Schmit in Arnott, South Dakota.  He was the second child of 7 born to Pete and Ida.  During his childhood the Schmit family moved several times, living in Huron, DeSmet, and Carthage.  Orvel received a certificate when he completed the 7 ^th grade.  He never completed the 8 ^th grade since he had to go help the neighbors and others, and this began his working career.

In 1940, Orvel and his brothers went to a barn party and that is where he met Dorothy Roberts.  On August 22, 1941, Orvel and Dorothy were married in Minnesota.  Shortly thereafter they moved back to Huron, SD, and began their family. Orvel began driving truck for Huron Grocery. Their first child, Janet Marie, was born in 1942.  Later Orvel changed jobs and went to work for Armour and Company, and, in June 1944 Leona Ann was born.

By then WWII was in full swing and his older brother, Pete, had joined the Marine Corps.  On November 15, 1944, Orvel enlisted in the US Army.  His truck driving experience got him sent to New Caledonia in the South Pacific where he was with the 3564 ^th Quartermaster Truck Company.  He spent the next year and three months there driving trucks hauling heavy equipment and was discharged in June 1946.  Upon his return to Huron, Orvel began working for the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad.  Eventually they sent him to Minneapolis, where their 3 ^rd child, Linda Catheryn was born.  But Orvel's truck driving roots kept calling him, and he quit the railroad. He moved to Princeton Minnesota where his brother Bill lived.  There, he bought a truck and began hauling cardboard boxes to be reused.  He did that for several years and in September 1950 his only son, Thomas Maynard, was born in Princeton.  When Tom was only a month old, the family packed up and moved back to Huron, SD.  But, by spring he could see the job market in Huron was scarce, so Orvel and his brother Bill packed up and went to Alaska, leaving his family in Huron.  Orvel worked one season building Army barracks in Fairbanks, Alaska.

After returning to Huron, he began driving for LeRoy Newman.  LeRoy had trucks leased to International Transport, in Rochester, MN.  Orvel hauled Caterpillar parts to the western United States and Canada for LeRoy and lumber on his return trips to South Dakota.  After driving for LeRoy for several years, Orvel wanted to be his own boss and soon bought his first very own truck.  It was an early 1950s Diamond T.  That old truck got a workout hauling eggs to New York City.

As the years went on Orvel bought several other trucks.  In the 1970s Orvel leased his truck to Earl Nordby's Pepsi Cola in Huron.  After several years with Pepsi, the open road started calling Orvel again, and he left Pepsi and leased his truck to Sammons Trucking Co in Missoula Montana. With Sammons, Orvel was able to travel all 48 lower states.  In the 1980s he began to take Dorothy with him in the truck, but his base was always in Huron.  Eventually Orvel turned 65 years old and was able to retire. He and Dorothy continued to travel, wintering in the south.  But pretty soon Orvel missed trucking, and he went to work for Huron Tank and Culvert and drove for them the next 7 years, finally retiring for good.

Orvel and Dorothy continued to go south each winter for several years.  Orvel always wanted to travel the big road, but the big road just got too big and too fast. So, he settled for driving around Huron, watching the fishermen down by the dam and looking at the old shop on Morningside hill, maybe checking out Lake Byron once in a while, and missing the good ol days.

Grateful for having shared in his life are his son, Thomas (Cheryl) Schmit, Huron, SD; his daughters, Leona (Bernard) Kowalke, Spearfish, SD; Linda Schuetzle, Wittmann, AZ; and Cindy Gabert, Rapid City, SD; his many grandchildren, great children and great great grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.

Orvel is survived by one brother Wilbur (Bill) Schmit, Poplar Bluff, MO; 3 sisters, Margaret Weniger, Yankton, SD; Mary Smith, Canton, SD; and Joan (Myron) VanBuskirk, Sioux Falls, SD.

He was preceded in death by his wife of 76 years, Dorothy Lucille Roberts Schmit on April 6, 2018; one daughter, Janet Marie Fearon; and one granddaughter, Melanie Schmit; his parents; two sons in law, Frank Fearon and Donald Schuetzle; two brothers, Peter Schmit and Reuben Schmit, one sister in law Anna Schmit; two brothers in law Orman Smith and Larry Weniger.

Like Orvel always said, "don't take any wooden nickels!"