Joseph Schmitz

Born in Toledo, Ohio on July 6, 1943

Departed on October 29, 2020 and resided in Nashville, TN

Joseph E. Schmitz
July 6, 1943, to October 29, 2020

Joseph Edward Schmitz, of the Bellevue area, passed away suddenly on the afternoon of October 29. Joe retired in 2005 from the accounting department at Bridgestone Tire Company's La Vergne Plant. He started with Firestone Tires in Akron, Ohio, before the merger with Bridgestone. He was also assigned to Valdosta, Georgia, before coming to La Vergne in Tennessee.

​Joe was born in Toledo, Ohio, to John G. and Lucille (Marks) Schmitz. He graduated from Toledo Central Catholic High School in 1961 and the University of Toledo in 1965. Joe was a veteran of the U. S. Army, having served in Viet Nam.

​Joe married Carolyn Mitchell Hardie in Nashville in 1989 and took residence in the Bellevue area.

​He was preceded in death by his parents and by his sister, Luanne Meyer. His wife Carolyn survives along with a sister, Jane Littrell of South Bend, her husband and their three sons and families. Also surviving are brothers-in-law Dennis Meyer of Toledo, his four children and families and Phillip Mitchell of Bowling Green, Kentucky, his two children and their families.

​Joe was a member of St. Henry Parish, Nashville, where he was proud to serve as an Usher for a number of years. He and Carolyn traveled extensively, particularly enjoying trips to New York City and European countries.

Joe worked in a restaurant during his time at University of Toledo to help finance his University tuition. One of his favorite pursuits after university was preparing and serving delicious meals to his friends and family. And Joe never disappointed his guests.

Joe was also very committed to staying healthy through regular exercise, walking several miles a day through the neighborhood and enjoying the Harpeth River Valley.

​During his retirement years, he volunteered on alternate mornings as instructor of math to the homeless who sought to improve themselves at Nashville Union Rescue Mission.

​Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Henry Catholic Church on Saturday, November 7, at 11:00 a.m. (In an abundance of caution about the spread of Covid-19, no visitation will be held.) Interment will take place afterward at Harpeth Hills Memorial Gardens.

​Memorials may be made in honor of Joe to Nashville Union Rescue Mission.