Schmidt, Robert L. , April 26, 1927- April 27, 2011 Scottsbluff Star Herald Scottsbluff, NE 29 Apr 2011 Robert L. Schmidt, 84, of rural Bayard, died Wednesday, April 27, 2011, at Heritage of Bridgeport. His funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m., Monday, May 2, at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Bridgeport, with Rev. Allen Strawn officiating. Interment will follow in the Oregon Trail Memorial Cemetery in Bridgeport with Military Rites rendered by the United States Navy. Memorials in his name may be made to St. Paul's Lutheran Church or to Heritage of Bridgeport. Friends who wish may call at the Jolliffe Funeral Home in Bridgeport Sunday from 1 to 7 p.m. and one hour prior to the service at the church. His obituary may be viewed online at www.jolliffefuneralhome.com where online condolences may be left for the family. Robert was born April 26, 1927, in Kenesaw, Neb., to Walter P. and Opal (Huckfeldt) Schmidt. He moved with his family to Bayard as a young child, and grew up and received his education there. Robert served his country during World War Two in the United States Navy. After his honorable discharge in 1946, he returned to Bridgeport where he farmed and ranched until 1965. He married Marjorie M. Vandivort Aug. 1, 1970, in Bridgeport. Robert and Marjorie lived in Ft. Collins, Colo., where he worked for the Colorado Division of Wildlife in charge of transplanting and relocating Bighorn Sheep. He was responsible for introducing the first Bighorn Sheep into Nebraska. He retired to his ranch near Bridgeport in 1990, where he has lived since. Robert loved to hunt and fish, and he and Marjorie made many trips to fish in Canada. He also was a big supporter of his children and grandchildren and loved to attend and watch their many sporting activities. He was a member of St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Bridgeport. Survivors include his wife Marjorie M. Schmidt of Bayard; sons, Roger (Mary) Schmidt of Gering, Loren (Candy) Schmidt of Truth or Consequences, N.M. and Glenn and Rex Schmidt, both of Bridgeport; stepdaughter, Janet Tavener of Ft. Collins, Colo.; and sister, Shirley Rodgers of Bridgeport. Survivors also include his grandchildren, Troy (Katie) Schmidt of Tabernash, Colo.; Josh (Stephanie) Schmidt of Bridgeport, Kelly Schmidt of Chicago, Ill.; Skylar Schmidt of Missoula, Mont.; Stan Tavener of Bayard and Anna Hadley of Denver and seven great-grandchildren. His parents, one son Richard who died during the Vietnam Conflict, and sister Betty Nuss preceded Robert in death.