Mr. WALTER ARSDALE "Mickey" SCHMID Jr.

FORT WORTH -- Walter Arsdale Schmid Jr., best known as Mickey, passed this life near his beloved Chaparral Ranch outside of Glen Rose Saturday afternoon, Nov. 22, 2014, at the age of 92. Service: A private family memorial service will be held in the Shuman Chapel at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church. A reception honoring the life of Mickey Schmid will be held at 4 p.m. Tuesday at River Crest County Club. Memorials: In lieu of flowers, consideration of contributions to Log Cabin Village, 2100 Log Cabin Village Lane, Fort Worth, Texas 76109, or the charity of your choice, in his memory, is suggested. Mickey was born in Fort Worth on July 11, 1922, the son of Claire Foster and Mickey Schmid Sr. He was a 1939 graduate of Arlington Heights High School and went on to earn his BBA from the University of Texas at Austin in 1943, where he was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. During World War II, Mickey served as a naval officer on PC1173, a submarine chaser, whose primary duty was to serve as a convey escort across the Atlantic. He married the former Geraldine Harman of San Antonio in 1947; they remained a gloriously happy couple for these past 67 years. Mickey is a descendent of the Texas pioneer family, the Fosters, who settled along the Brazos River in Milam County in the 1840s. He was passionate about giving the tools to the next generation to engage in study of the early Texas settler and in that pursuit he, along with a group of friends, worked with the city of Fort Worth to establish Log Cabin Village in Forest Park. The Foster Cabin is one of the cabins that have been restored that provides for daily tours for all ages to experience the pioneer way of life. Mickey believed that one finds oneself in knowing the hardships of others and wanted the next generation to be aware of the sacrifices that the early settlers made for each of us. Mickey began his early business career as a vice president of the North Texas Advertising Company and went on to purchase the enterprise in the early 1950s. He served as the chairman of the Outdoor Advertising Association of America. During this period of his career he served on the Fort Worth Planning and Zoning Company and served as the chairman of the United Fund. He was a director of the Chamber of Commerce and in 1956 was named the Outstanding Young Man of the Year. After the sale of his advertising company, Mickey went on to become executive vice president of Lone Star Brewing Company in San Antonio. He then entered the oil and gas business and was a founding partner of American Quasar Petroleum. Mickey, along with a close group of friends, formed the Sportsman Club. He was a member of the Exchange Club of Fort Worth and River Crest County Club where he was the longest living member. The love of family and the Lord combined with his Germanic roots defined Mickey. The ultimate gentleman and honorable man, he was happiest when surrounded by family in front of a blazing fire following a hunt on the ranch. He will be greatly missed. He was preceded in death by his parents; two grandchildren, Mickey Schmid IV and Kelly Tripplehorn; and sister, Suzanne Schmid. Survivors: In addition to his his wife, Geraldine, Mickey is survived by his children, William Woolf Schmid and wife, Karen, of Lafayette, La., Charlotte Schmid Tripplehorn and her husband, Paul, Mickey III and his wife, Elizabeth, all of Fort Worth; grandchildren, Will Schmid, Matt Schmid, Alexis Claire Tripplehorn, Jacob Tripplehorn and Adley Schmid; two great-grandchildren; and sister, Betty Claire Dupree McKnight, also of Fort Worth. To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Mr. WALTER ARSDALE "Mickey" SCHMID Jr. please visit our Sympathy Store.