Marcele "Marcie" D. Schmidt, 94, of Minden passed away on Wednesday, August 6, 2025 at Bethany Home in Minden. Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, August 12, 2025 at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Minden with the Rev. William Zwick officiating. The service will be streamed to the church's YouTube page. Interment will be held following the service at the Minden Cemetery. Visitation will be held one hour prior to service time at the church. Memorials in Marcie's honor are kindly suggested to the St. Paul Lutheran Church memorial fund or the sanctuary renovation fund, or to Bethany Home in Minden. Arrangements are under the care of Craig Funeral Home in Minden.

Marcele "Marcie" Darlene Schmidt was born July 22, 1931, to Harry H. and Ida M. (Schwartz) Von Behren on a farm near North Platte, Nebraska. She was the tenth in a family of twelve children. She attended Our Redeemer Lutheran parochial school and was confirmed there. When she was twelve, she helped her mother serve food and drinks with the North Platte Canteen to soldiers traveling by train, and ultimately to the front lines of World War II. She was later honored as a special guest at the Minden High School production of "The Coffee Pot Is On", a one act play written about the actual events that took place at the North Platte Canteen.

She graduated from Kearney High School and then attended Kearney State Teachers' College for two years. Marcie was united in marriage to Martin W. Schmidt on May 24, 1952, "twice in the same day", the first time at a civil service ceremony and later that day, at a LCMS church in New York City. In 1952, the U.S. Army (during the Korean War) sent Martin to San Juan, Puerto Rico. Marcie was able to travel with him, and they lived in an apartment off base.

In 1954, they moved back to the farm near Minden when Martin was discharged from the service. Martin farmed the land that his family had been on since 1879, and Marcie went to work at the Kearney County Treasurer's Office. Their son Timothy M. Schmidt was born April 12, 1955, in Minden. Marcie returned to work part-time and eventually became the Kearney County Treasurer, working there for many years until retirement.

Marcie was an active member of Rotary, eventually becoming the first female Rotary Governor in Nebraska. She was also active in St. Paul Lutheran Church; teaching Sunday School, serving with the LWML, and various other church committees.

Martin and Marcie loved to travel, and had visited Hawaii, England, Australia, and New Zealand.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Martin; son, Timothy; brothers, Harold, Marvin, Earl, Loren, and Arnold; sisters, Irene, Cordelia, Evelyn, Arletta, Beverly, and Nadine (during infancy).

She is survived by several nieces, nephews, extended relatives and close friends.

Tributes and memories can be shared with the family at www.craigfunerals.com .