Robert Alphonse Schmit

Robert Alphonse Schmit

October 4, 1926 - December 6, 2023

It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Robert A. Schmit, M.D. He was with his children as he passed away with incredible dignity on December 6, 2023.

Robert was born in St. Paul, Minnesota in October 1926. He was from a large family; he was the oldest of ten boys. He attended Flushing High School in Flint, Michigan, class of 1944. He graduated from high school and immediately joined the Army. He did his basic training at Ft. Campbell Kentucky. From there he left from Ft. Ord and sailed for the Philippines. With God’s grace, he returned home from WWII safely.

With his GI bill and a scholarship, Robert attended Loyola University in Los Angeles, graduating in 1952. He went on to Loyola Stritch School of Medicine in Chicago. He did an internship year at Los Angeles County Hospital, and practiced general medicine for a year. He then went back and did a General Surgery residency at the Long Beach Veterans Association Hospital in Long Beach, CA. This is where he met the love of his life, Margaret. Margaret was an occupational therapist at the Long Beach V. A. Hospital. Robert and Margaret were married in May of 1957.

Robert had an incredibly long General Surgery career, he was on staff at both Little Company of Mary Hospital and Torrance Memorial Medical Center from 1959 to 2015. He was an early pioneer of laparoscopic surgery. He touched hundreds of people performing life saving surgeries.

Robert and Margaret settled in on the Palos Verdes Peninsula to rear their family of five children. Robert and Margaret both became pilots in 1959. He still enjoyed flying with his son in law, going to Catalina for buffalo burgers. Robert was an avid skier, scuba diver and tennis player. After his long surgical career, he began sculpting. While enjoying Santa Fe, New Mexico for their outdoor Opera season, Bob and Marge started visiting foundries where Bob would have his sculptures made into bronze. They decided to retire to Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Robert was predeceased by Marge and daughter Hilary. Robert is survived by son Robert (Kathleen), daughters Marlies, Patti (Don) and Diana (Stephen) and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

The funeral mass will be at St. John Fisher Church in Rancho Palos Verdes on January 17, 2024.