Memorial Day - Remembering the Minnesota Vets Home Garden & Gardener

PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS PROJECT - VETERANS HOME HASTINGS, MINNESOTA
 & Vet Gardner Gordy Schmidt (Deceased)
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The Garden is gone and we are humming the Old Joni Mitchel Song:

"They took all the trees
And put them in a tree museum
And they charged all the people
A dollar and a half to see 'em
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
'Till it's gone
They paved paradise
And they put up a parking lot"

Remembering Gordy Schmidt - Vietnam Veteran, Gardener & Artist

Gordon Charles Schmidt, 69, of Hastings, MN, passed away unexpectedly Saturday June 6th 2015 while gardening at the Minnesota Veterans Home of Hastings. Gordon Charles Schmidt Obituary

I often met Gordy Schmidt at Lake Rebecca in Hastings on one of his many long walks.  
I would fish and he would take in some sun along the trails and at the park. 

I learned of his tremendous craftsmanship with wood A Veteran's New Found Passion and also observed his love of gardening.  

Together with Doug, his gardening buddy at the Vets home, the two had beautiful showcases every year. Gordy specialized in flowers and Doug was the vegetable expert.  I worked with them to get soil samples sent to the U of M and watched their artistry through my window in Building 25 just above the Vermillion River.

Another fond memory is Gordy's keen eye for dangerous tree limbs along the trails and holes in the ground in the parks that could break an ankle.  Together we would take photos of the dangerous areas and send an email to my contacts at the city parks department and they would come out to cut the limbs and fill the holes.  With 25 miles of trails to maintain, they appreciated Gordy's keen eye.

We will miss Gordy and his artistry in several venues. 

Rest in Peace Gordy,

Ken