Name: Ambrose and Sally Schmitt

Parish: Members of Holy Family Church, Jasper, for 52 years.

Married, number of children: We were married on May 15, 1954; three children and three grandchildren.

Tell us three things about your spouse: Ambrose: She is very religious and involved in a lot of church activities. People will call and ask her to do things, and I’ve never heard her say no … she is always available. She’s an easy-going wife. I always say I have the perfect wife because she allows me to get by with things no other wife would allow! Sally: I think he is full of questions … he is very inquisitive. He wants to know the answers, so he is always reading and studying. He is one of the most honest people I know. He is also a perfectionist. He is very humble … he doesn’t want to be recognized for anything.

How did you meet? Sally: Meeting Ambrose was one of God’s miracles in my life. He was in the service and on his way over to Korea. We never had met – he was three and a half years older than me in school  –  but my mother and father knew his parents. He sent me a letter, and I had it for a while before I answered it. My dad kept asking me when I was going to write back. I finally did, and we corresponded until he got home the next year. We started dating and were married a year later. I think God helped him send me that first letter.

What are some of your earliest childhood memories? Where did you grow up? Ambrose: There were 10 in our family. I was the eighth. I grew up during the Depression. I’ve always marveled how our parents could take care of all 10 of us. We always had plenty to eat, and we didn’t know until we were older what a big mess our country was in. Our father was the janitor at St. Joe School for 25 years … he took that job when the school was built in 1928. There were 16 classrooms that had to be cleaned every night. All of us helped our dad clean up that school from the time we were in the fourth grade all the way through high school. We’d stay after school to help him … we were expected to do this all the time. Dad got paid, but we didn’t! My younger brother took over the job when Dad retired. Sally: I’m the second oldest of five children. I have lived in Jasper all my life. I have four sisters and one brother. I was born during Depression times … we didn’t have a lot of money, but always had everything we needed and lots of love from our parents. I have fond memories of playing with neighbor kids and making our own games, like cutting up the old Sears Catalog to make our paper dolls. We didn’t have a lot of toys, but we had what we needed and a good home life. Our brother was the youngest after four girls, so we thought a lot of him. I still remember my mother’s good cooking, especially the Wednesday homemade soups and wonderful pies.

What is a favorite Christmas memory?

Ambrose: My Christmas memory is not happy, but sad. On December 24, 1951, after 21 days on a troop ship, we landed in Japan on the way to the Korean War. I had been seasick most of the days on the ship. I knew no one in Japan, even other soldiers. This was Christmas Eve – the first time in my life that I was not home for Christmas. I walked the streets feeling all alone, then lay down on my bunk and heard Christmas carols being played over a loud speaker. I became nostalgic, thinking about all the family and friends back home, and how I would miss singing Midnight Mass for the first time in my life. Sally: No particular Christmas stands out. All were filled with activity – the gifts, decorations, putting together Christmas dinner and having all the family together to celebrate the birth of Jesus. I remember especially Midnight Mass, the beautiful singing and all the happy faces of people.

Who taught you to drive? Ambrose: Growing up, we didn’t have a car, and nobody in my family knew how to drive, so we didn’t go many places. My older brother went to school at St. Meinrad, which was about 25 to 30 miles away, and we didn’t have a way to visit him. My mom and dad were friends with a family whose father drove a school bus. Several times, we’d all pile on that bus and he drove us to St. Meinrad. My sisters and I finally bought our family a car when I was 20 years old – a 1948 Plymouth. A neighbor boy two years older than me taught me how to drive it. Sally: My dad had a 1932 Chevrolet, with a stick shift, and that’s what he used to teach me to drive. I never did get my license … I only had a permit. When I met Ambrose, he helped me so I could finally get a license!

Who influenced you growing up? Who was a hero to you? Ambrose: Professor Frank Loepker, who was our eighth-grade teacher at St. Joseph. He was a disciplinarian. Our school had over 700 kids, and the boys really had to be watched. Any time there was trouble, the student was sent to his class. He straightened out many boys headed for trouble. He was our organist and choir director. I always wanted to sing in the choir when I was little, and I did. He auditioned all of us in fourth grade, and I’ve been singing ever since. Sally: My mother and father, because of the way they raised us. My dad went to church every day, and he truly believed and trusted in God. He worked in a factory. We weren’t rich, but we had everything we needed, and they taught us to love and trust God. Our mother was always there. She was a real hero because she answered our questions and taught us the things we needed to know later on in life, like how to clean, cook, etc. I think today, the true and dedicated priests, religious and deacons are my heroes. They have a difficult and thankless job. With all the problems in the church today and the shortage of priests, they are truly our heroes because they continue to do God’s work and help all of us on our journey though this life and the next. I admire their dedication and ability to stick with it all.

What form does stewardship take in your life? What have you been involved with at your parish (current or past)? Ambrose: Choir is my main ministry. I sang at St. Joe growing up, and after we were married, we moved to Holy Family. I was the volunteer choir director at Holy Family for 40 years. For special occasions, like a deacon ordination, I will go to different churches to sing in their choirs. I also serve as a cantor, and I’m active in the Serra Club. We were both honored to receive the Brute Award in 1997. Sally: I am a sacristan, Eucharistic Minister and I take communion to shut-ins. I keep the records of our Sodality dues and membership. I made a CRHP (Christ Renews His Parish) weekend and was a Stephen Minister for three years.

Have you encountered a miracle or God’s intervention in your life? Ambrose: I am a charter member of the Serra Club … I have been for about 35 years. About five years ago, they instituted a program where each Serra Club member is given a priest in the Jasper Deanery to pray for each month. Each member prays daily for 12 priests in a year. I also like to pray for everybody we know who is sick, hurting or needs help. We wouldn’t be doing this if we didn’t believe it is very important. We call them little miracles when these prayers are answered.

Tell us about a favorite religious item. Ambrose: I have a wooden plaque with seven or eight monks singing. Father Ambrose Schneider gave it to me when I was in the sixth grade … about 65 years ago. Sally: Mine is a plaque of Mary holding Jesus … the Pieta. I won it at school when I was 10 years old. I remember when the nun was doing the prize drawing, she said she asked the Blessed Mother to pick the person who did the most sacrifice during Lent. I was so honored that my name came out of the hat. I still treasure it, and it has a special place in our entertainment center.

What is your best wisdom on life? What’s the best advice you could offer someone? Ambrose: Do your best in life to do right and you will persevere. Sally: Every morning, pray to God that you realize you can work it out with Him. Treat everyone kindly, be present for those who need you, have faith and trust. Try to be positive instead of negative. You and all you live with will be happy.

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