Kelly Henry Schmidt was born on August 14, 1923, at Schmidt Ranch in Mason County, Texas, and passed away on November 11, 2019.  His parents were Henry Carl Schmidt and Katherine Isabel (Katie) Keller Schmidt. Kelly was baptized and confirmed at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Mason. He was the youngest of three boys, growing up under the wings of his older brothers Harold and Werner, who taught him to hunt, fish, and trap. Kelly loved his many pets, especially his horse Sargeant.

Kelly attended elementary school in Mason, then went to Peters Prairie School until eleventh grade, when he transferred to Mason High School. He was quarterback for the Punchers, played on the tennis team, and sang Gilbert and Sullivan in the school operettas. His classmate, Clinton Hartmann, wrote the words to the current Mason High School Song, and Kelly was the first to perform the song in public.

Upon graduating from Mason High School in 1941, Kelly became a member of the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets. He was eventually drafted into WWII and assigned to train as a machine gunner due to his skill with a rifle. He was posted to France in 1944, enduring a rough crossing on a crowded troopship. On November 16, 1944, Kelly's unit was assigned to take a hill near Dijon, France. Kelly fought his way up the hill but was hit with grenade fragments; the medic looked at his wounds and said, "God help him." Other soldiers put Kelly into a foxhole and continued the battle.

Kelly lay wounded in the foxhole the rest of the night, not knowing which side would find him in the morning and whether he would live or die, thinking about the life he wanted to have back home: working with his father on the ranch, marrying and having a family, living a Christian life. This experience was a defining moment in his life.

After being rescued by American troops, Kelly was sent to a hospital in Wales to recuperate. Upon his discharge, he returned to Mason and the ranch, working side by side with his father, Henry, until Henry's death in 1949. Kelly's mother, Katie, lived to the age of 88, residing in Mason the last years of her life.

Kelly married Minnie Nell Gandy of Cameron, TX on June 18, 1949. They started a pedigreed Hereford herd that fall, and named the ranch "Schmidt Hereford Ranch," developing the business into a nationally recognized Hereford breeding program. At first they consigned their cattle to the Hill Country Hereford Association and Concho Hereford Association sales; in 1964 they began an annual sale at the ranch, advertising it in later years as "The Oldest Single Breeder Sale in Texas." Breeders from all over the U.S. and Mexico attended and bought cattle. Kelly served on the boards of both the Texas Hereford Association and the Hill Country Hereford Association, and received many awards as a cattle judge and soil conservationist. He was awarded the Golden Breeder plaque by the (American Hereford Association) for 50 years in business. Kelly and Minnie raised three children on the ranch: Steven Henry, Shane Renay, and James Kelly.

As a member of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Mason, Kelly served as congregational President and sang with the men's choir. He and Minnie taught Sunday School and sponsored the church youthgroup, Luther League, for many years. Kelly was on the board when the Mason Hospital (now Clinic) was built. He and Minnie had a number of recreational interests over the years: they were members of a couples bridge club, were skilled tennis players, and were charter members of the Fort Mason Golf Association. Kelly was a devoted golfer in the last decades of his life, and could be found on the course almost every day. He had a close relationship with the Lord, and read the Bible every day. Kelly loved his four grandchildren, taking them hunting and fishing.

Kelly and Minnie moved to Mason in 1996 and retired from ranching in 2008, turning the business over to James Kelly and his wife Mona Lois Friday Schmidt. Kelly and Minnie were both named to the Mason County Chamber of Commerce Hall of Fame in 2005. Kelly continued to be active in community affairs until health problems in 2015. In the last several years of his life, he was cared for at Windcrest Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Fredericksburg.

Kelly was preceded in death by his parents, Henry and Katie; his brothers and sisters-in-law, Harold and Lois, and Werner and Beatrice; his nephew, Harold Reagan Schmidt; his nephew-in-law Buddy Lofton and great-nephew Tad Lofton; and his great-great nephew Kaleab Schmidt.

Kelly is survived by his wife, Minnie Gandy Schmidt, son Steve Schmidt and daughter Shane Schmidt of Mason, and son James Kelly Schmidt and wife Mona Lois Friday Schmidt of Mason and their children: Havana Schmidt Mendoza and husband Capt. Richard Mendoza; Rio Kelly Schmidt; Monaco Hope Schmidt; and Texas Ranger Schmidt. Kelly is also survived by niece Katherine Groves and husband Kirby, niece Nita Lofton, Mary Lanell Schmidt (widow of late nephew Harold Reagan Schmidt), nephew Gary Schmidt and wife Jimmie Lou, niece Jan Dutton and husband Jerry, all of Mason, numerous great- and great-great nieces and nephews, and many friends.

Visitation will be held on Wednesday, November 13, from 5-7 p.m. at Mason Funeral Home. Services will be on Thursday, November 14, at 2:00 p.m at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Mason. The service will be conducted by Pastor Fred Krebs. Pall bearers are: Gary Schmidt, Jerry Dutton, Kirby Groves, Dickie Schmidt, Dr. Randy Moody, Charlie Grosse, Chuck Bearden, and Dewey Eckert.

Honorary pallbearers are Havana Schmidt Mendoza, Capt. Richard Mendoza, Rio Schmidt, Monaco Schmidt, Texas Ranger Schmidt, and Tim Schmidt.