David "Dave" Schmidt died in his home, surrounded by family, on December 2, 2014, in Hermantown, MN due to complications with prostate cancer.  He was 68 years old. Dave was born on May 23, 1946, in St. Paul, MN to his parents Henry and Irene (Stotz) Schmidt.  He graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in Forestry.  He also served in the US Navy.  He married Irene Rolfes in 1972.  The Schmidts lived in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Michigan, before returning to Minnesota and living in Hermantown, as Dave and Irene relocated often for Dave's work as a Forester with the US Forest Service.  He retired from the Forest Service in 2004 after a long career in Forestry and Land Appraisals.  He truly had a passion for his work with nature and conserving public land.  He continued to actively work in this field until shortly before his death. Dave was a loyal and caring husband, father, grandfather, brother, father-in-law, uncle and friend.  He loved nature and spending time camping, fishing and gardening.  He enjoyed cooking and reading, and valued learning as he worked to expand his knowledge about many topics throughout his life.