Funeral service for Walter Edwin "Ed" Schmieding, Jr. will be 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, December 4, 2024 at Dayspring Community Church with Robert Smith, Lead Pastor and Kirk Givens, Pastor of Care officiating.

Entombment will follow in the Chapel of Peace Mausoleum at Sunset Memorial Gardens under the direction of Becker-Rabon Funeral Home.

The service may be viewed via livestream through the Dayspring Community Church Facebook page.

Walter Edwin "Ed" Schmieding, Jr., 92, of Lawton, Oklahoma, passed away peacefully on Saturday, November 30, 2024. He was born on July 28, 1932, in Shelby, Michigan, to Walter Edwin Schmieding, Sr. and Constance (Melvin) Schmieding.

Ed proudly served his country as a Military Police officer in the United States Army before pursuing higher education, earning an associate degree. On June 2, 1951, he married the love of his life, Barbara J. Gard, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Their marriage spanned 69 years until Barbara's passing on August 7, 2020.

In 1962, Ed and Barbara settled in a home they built in Del City, Oklahoma. It was here that Ed's drafting and designing career took off. Over the years, he held several notable positions, including serving as the assistant city manager of Edmond, Oklahoma, and working with the Oklahoma Brick Corporation in Tulsa. In 1971, they moved to Lawton, where Ed joined Dambolt Associates as a draftsman. From then on, Ed dedicated himself to residential design, a profession he deeply loved and pursued throughout the rest of his life.

Ed and Barbara shared a passion for travel and adventure. They visited every state in the U.S., including experiencing the Alaskan Iditarod and the beauty of Hawaii. Their adventures included rafting, hiking, and camping in the Grand Canyon, as well as whale watching in Baja, Mexico. They explored the Canadian Rockies by train and marveled at the breathtaking fjords of Norway. Wherever they went, they found joy in the great outdoors and cherished their time together.

Ed is survived by his three children, Walter Edwin Schmieding, III of Texas, Gary Schmieding of Lawton, Oklahoma, and Dorrie Harstad and husband Terry of Lawton, Oklahoma, six grandchildren, Jeremy Schmieding and Laura of Granby, Massachusetts, Dustin Schmieding and wife Maghan of Wilbraham, Massachusetts, Jonathan Schmieding of Stüttgart, Germany, Morgan Oetken and husband Keith, Whitney Powell and husband Daren, and Brandon Harstad and wife Alexis all of Lawton, Oklahoma, 17 great grandchildren, and other family members.

Ed is preceded in death by his parents, wife, granddaughter, Heather Harstad, one brother, and two sisters.