Mark and I were friends in grammar and high school and I have great memories of playing as kids, and later our weekly poker nights and parties. And then there was the first backpacking trip I ever went on, up to Little Yosemite Valley, and then to the top of Half Dome. Our group camped part way up to Half Dome for the night and after dinner we were walking around and saw a mother bear and a couple of cubs. Hustled back to camp to get the camera only to find a bear enjoying our food. Mark charged the bear to scare it off, but the bear stood up on its hind legs and scared Mark instead! We all retreated and waited till the bear finished enjoying the food we had lugged up the hill. The nice bear actually left us one can of peaches. We further retreated down the hill to where other people were camping in Little Yosemite Valley, only to have bears running around the campsite in the middle of the night amidst people banging on pots and setting off flares in fire pits by lighting up camp fuel. We did make it to the top of Half Dome the next day and I have enjoyed backpacking ever since and usually remember this first outing and Mark's bear encounter whenever I'm out.
Mark Schmitt and I went to St. Peter's Lutheran School for our elementary years. He always sat in the back... maybe because he was so tall and thin??? Needed his leg room? I always thought of him as being SO smart... maybe even the smartest one in the class! (or at least he was right up there with you Chuck!)
I was so sorry to hear about his passing at such an early age.
I also went through grammar school and high school with Mark. I also lived with him right out of high school for about 5 years near Highland hospital at the party house. Chuck will remember. Super intelligent guy. One of my best friends at the time. We had many adventures together. Was sad to hear of his passing.
Jan! You make me blush, lol! Mark had the smarts department cornered at St. Peters. Bob, your comments bring a flood of memories, including us drinking beer on the roof of that house one night and the police helicopter nearly knocking us off when they turned that high intensity light on us; the card games; and those great winter trips up to Tahoe! Remember the wild inner-tube rides behind Jensen's VW van! Jackie, great to hear from you. I think Mark would be amused and pleased that his St. Peter classmates remember him fondly!
Mark was my childhood chum. He lived across the street. We did everything together. Football games on the street, baseball games at McKinley Elementary, and in the summers, Hide and Seek when the sun went down. He was one of the smartest kids I knew as a child. A real fast learner. I just thought about him the other day about the time we set up a telephone system from his bedroom to mine with soup cans and string. There were five of us who were about the same age on our little street: myself, Ricky Onstad, Steve Schmitt, Jim Brantley and Mark. We camped in his backyard a lot. The Schmitt's had a great backyard for kids with lots of fruit trees: apple, pear, lemon, orange and cherry. All through summer and fall we would migrate from tree to tree. Cherries were the favorites. We lived across from SLHS and long ago it had been a cherry orchard. Everyone had one or two in their yard. We would climb up on the roof of the house or garage and gorge ourselves on cherries. When we couldn't eat any more, we would fill one pound bags and sell them for a quarter on East 14th Street. Then take our earnings and see some SciFi movie at the Saturday matinee in the DelMar Theater. We had so much fun.
We were always building some kind of fort or tree house. It didn't take much, a bike, a couple of bricks and a sheet. When we weren't building forts, it was some sort of sport or game. I learned all about sports from Mark as my family had no interest. As adults, we always talk about how we spent all our time outdoors and, when I was young, I spent most that time with Mark. Mark was very special to me and when he passed away it was like losing a large part of my childhood.
Chuck, Jacki, Bob(Beep), Janet, Tommy Hudson and those of us that all went to grammar school together (St. Peters)were in a small tight group 6 days a week including church on Sunday. All day and P.E., to getting rides to school together.......Mark's passing was much to early and my heart ached. I think we all thought life was good for at least 70 to 80 years at that time? That was a reality check..and if we believe what we were taught, we will see Mark again and be able to give him a big hug!
