Ken Schmitt

Lieutenant Colonel Kenneth “Ken” W. Schmitt, 81, U.S. Army Retired, of Florence, KY passed away December 1, 2021 at Select Specialty Hospital with his wife and daughter by his side. Born on January 31, 1940 in Jasper, IN, Ken was a true patriot, who devoted 20 years of his life to the U.S. Army. He received many accolades, including a Purple Heart. Upon his retirement from the army, Ken worked as the division financial manager for Kimball Int’l and was a member of Jasper City Council. In 2000, he moved to Kentucky, where he worked for the IRS until he retired in 2005. Ken was an active member at St. Paul’s in Florence and San Antonio Church in Port Charlotte, FL. He enjoyed playing golf and bocce, horse racing, volunteering, cooking and traveling.

Ken is survived by his loving wife of 17 years, Janine (Gachuk); son, Scott (Shannon) Schmitt; daughter, Sheila (Chris) Eckstein; grandsons, Branden (Taylor) Eckstein, Seth (Jessica) Eckstein and Tyler (Christy) Eckstein; great-grandchildren, Charlotte and Liam; and siblings, Howard Schmitt, Nancy Gerber, Connie Schmitt, Alan Schmitt and Jane Ellis.

Visitation for Ken will be held Thursday, December 9th from 5:00-7:00pm at Linnemann Funeral Homes in Erlanger, as well as Friday, December 10th from 8:30-9:00am. To honor Ken’s military service and recognize his patriotism the family invites our guests to wear red, white and blue.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:00am on Friday, December 10th at St. Paul Catholic Church in Florence. Burial with full military honors will be held at Arlington National Cemetery in 2022.

Memorial contributions can be made to Second Stride (7204 Highway 329, Crestwood, KY) Second Stride provides, retraining, and placement for retired thoroughbred horses” or Special Olympics Kentucky (105 Lakeview Ct., Frankfort, KY) in honor of Ken or charity of choice.