HARRY WALLACE "Wally" SCHMUCK, D.D.S.

Fort Worth, Texas - Harry Wallace Schmuck passed away peacefully at the age of 95 on Monday, September 2, surrounded by his loving family.

Harry Wallace Schmuck, whose family always called him Harry Wallace and friends called him Wally, was born June 11, 1929 in Little Rock, Arkansas, the youngest of three children of Gladys Wallace Kitchen Schmuck and Harry Horatio Schmuck. He attended and graduated from Little Rock Senior High School in 1947. After graduating high school, he played college basketball at Little Rock Junior College and then enrolled at The University of Arkansas where his interest in sports writing steered him to a degree in Journalism. He graduated from Arkansas in 1951 and was a lifelong fan of the Razorbacks, such a big fan that he had a personalized license plate for years that said “Sooooooie.” He was also a member of the Kappa Sigma fraternity.

Upon graduation, he joined the United States Air Force during the Korean War and was initially stationed at Ellsworth Air Force base in Rapid City, South Dakota. He then attended Officers Candidate School and was commissioned and taught leadership to pre-flight cadets at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. It was in San Antonio that he met lifelong friends and his interest in golf increased dramatically. Wally was honorably discharged from the Air Force in 1953 following the end of the Korean War.

It was then that he met the love of his life, Patsy Ruth Keith, of McGehee, Arkansas. They fell in love and married December 18, 1954 after a whirlwind courtship. After their wedding they moved to Fort Worth, Texas, where he attended Texas Christian University in preparation for attending dental school. Wally and Pat then moved to Houston, where he attended The University of Texas School of Dentistry. He became a member of the Omicron Kappa Upsilon National Dental Honor Society while at the UT School of Dentistry. They welcomed their first child, Patricia Leigh, in January 1959 while living in Houston.

After graduation from Dental School, and earning his DDS degree, Wally, Pat and Leigh then moved to Fort Worth to begin his practice in General Dentistry in 1960. They welcomed two more children, Lauren Wallace in April of 1962, and Wallace Keith in March of 1964. Wally became a life member of the American Dental Association and the Texas Dental Association and the Fort Worth District Dental Society. He was a lifelong University of Arkansas Alumni member.

Wally’s love of golf was instilled in him at a young age and continued as a lifelong passion, exceeded only by his love for his family and his profession. As a member of Colonial Country Club since 1954, he became involved with the Colonial National Invitational Tournament (NIT) Tour event in the early seventies and eventually served as Tournament Chairman in 1986, 1987 and 1988. He also served as club president in 1990 and 1991. The year 1991 was a particularly busy year at the club with the regular PGA Tour Event followed by the USGA Women’s Open just six weeks later. In 1986 Wally was instrumental in organizing the Pride of the Plaid, to honor outstanding and longtime volunteers to the Colonial PGA Tournament. In 1995, Wally was Chairman of the Ben Hogan Bronze Committee that dedicated the heroic statue of Ben Hogan prominently displayed at the entrance of Colonial, as well as Chairman of the Hogan Room Renovation Committee. The Hogan Room houses many of Ben Hogan’s memorabilia and was dedicated on August 13, 2000. The Ben Hogan Award began in 1990 and is a prestigious honor awarded to a collegiate golfer. Colonial Country Club joined the organization in 2001 and since 2005 the Award winner is named at a ceremony prior to the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial. Wally was on the Hogan Award committee from its inception at Colonial and helped organize the event that honors a top collegiate player annually.

In 1988 Wally had his 15 minutes of fame when he appeared as himself as Tournament Director of the Colonial Golf Tournament, in the film Dead Solid Perfect written by his good friend Dan Jenkins.

In 1994, Wally was appointed to the USGA Senior Amateur Championship Committee and worked as a Rules Official at that Championship annually. He served as the official in charge of the Senior Open and Senior Amateur Sectional Qualifying Tournaments each year in the Dallas Fort Worth metroplex since 1996. In 1997, he was appointed to the Advisory Board of the North Texas Chapter of the PGA of America and helped as a Rules Official in many chapter tournaments each year. He was a longtime member of the Panther City Masonic Lodge #1183.

Wally’s other favorite hobby was Dove hunting. He rarely missed an opening day dove hunt. He taught his three children how to shoot at a young age and instilled in them a love of hunting and the outdoors.

In 2020 Wally received the Texas Dental Association’s prestigious 60-year Award. This award is bestowed upon those individuals who have belonged to organized dentistry for 60 consecutive years.

Wally enjoyed the game of golf well into his 80’s and had cherished memories from trips to the Master’s Golf tournament in Augusta, Georgia, Pebble Beach, Cypress Point, Pine Valley, the Old Course at St. Andrews, Royal Troon, Turnberry, the Ryder Cup at the Belfry in Birmingham, England among many other golfing adventures! Wally never met a stranger, had too many lifelong friends to count and lived a beautiful life with his adoring family and will be missed by all.

We would like to express our deepest gratitude for all of the compassion, kindness and care to N. Alan Davenport, MD, to Georgia Anderson, to all of the Caregivers at the Westmore Senior Living and AlevCare Hospice.

Wally was preceded in death by his parents, Gladys and Harry, and his sisters, Elnore Schmuck Savage, and Betty Jean Schmuck.

In addition to his wife of 70 years, Pat, Wally is survived by his three children, Leigh Crates, Lauren and her husband, Tom Puff, and Wallace and his wife, Catherine Schmuck; 5 grandchildren, Will Kelly and his wife, Lucy, William Wallace Schmuck and his wife, Elizabeth, Courtney Schmuck, and Sara Kate and Anna Puff; and two great-grandchildren, Leighton and Juliet Kelly.

A Celebration of His Life will be on Thursday, September 12, from 3:00 to 5:00 pm at Colonial Country Club, 3735 Country Club Circle, Fort Worth, Texas 76109. He will be laid to rest privately with Military Honors.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the First Tee Fort Worth or Union Gospel Mission of Tarrant County or a charity of your choice.