Obituary: Kenneth Schmidtke

March 23, 1932 ~ August 13, 2020

Kenneth John Schmidtke, 88, of Sturgeon Bay, died on Aug. 13, 2020.  He was born March 23, 1932 in Sturgeon Bay to John and Dora (Wolske) Schmidtke. Ken served his country in the United States Army for two years during the Korean War.  On Oct. 19, 1963 he married Janis Pagel at Emanuel Lutheran Church in Kolberg.  She preceded him in death on June 5, 2017.

Ken worked at Peterson Builders Inc. in Sturgeon Bay for 35 years.  He was proud of all the launches he was involved with during his career.  He was also a long time and active member of St. Peter’s Lutheran Church.

In his retirement, Ken was a dedicated volunteer at the Door County Maritime Museum.  He enjoyed taking visitors on tours of the museum and spent many hours building exhibits.  In 2018, Ken was recognized as Mariner of the Year for his dedication to the Door County Maritime Museum and his shipbuilding skills.  The award recognizes people who have made significant contributions to the Door County maritime community.

Ken is survived by two children, Brenda (James) Bilski, Sturgeon Bay; and Philip (Tammy) Schmidtke, Brookfield; 4 grandchildren, Kyle and Matthew Bilski, Abby and Danny Schmidtke; brother Larry (Ann) Schmidtke, Green Bay; sister Joanne Kintopf, Sturgeon Bay; 2 sisters-in-law, Rose Schmidtke, Sturgeon Bay and Janice Schmidtke, Sheboygan Falls; nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, wife, grandson Christopher, 3 brothers, Norman, Rahn (Marlene), and Jerry and brother-in-law John Kintopf.

Funeral services will be 1:00 pm on Tuesday August 18, 2020 at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church.  Friends may call at the church on Tuesday from 12:00 noon until the time of service.  Face masks are required and social distancing measures will be implemented. Burial with military honors will be at Bayside Cemetery.  Forbes Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.