My maternal grandfather, Bennie Schmiett was born January 30, 1915 in Los Angeles, California to Benard Schmiett and Hester Abiah Beckstead Schmiett. Bennie was the eldest of three children born to Benard and Hester Schmiett. Bennie’s sister, Fay Schmiett (Dimond) was two years younger and his brother, Stanley Wallace Schmiett was four years his junior.
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| Picture of Bennie and siblings courtesy of Sherry Anderson, granddaughter of Fay Schmiett Dimond |
The first name on Bennie’s birth certificate appears to be Bernard or Benard, but he was always known as “Bennie”. A letter from Bennie’s mother to her sister indicates that she named him Bernard Schmiett “after his daddie.”
Although Bennie was born in Los Angeles, he spent most of his life in Utah. Bennie’s father was a minor league baseball player in California and Utah. Before Stan was born in 1919, the Schmiett family moved to the Salt Lake City area (Midvale).
From his youth, Bennie was a leader and enjoyed serving in public offices. He was the student body president at Jordan High School in 1933, and later served in several other public offices, including Roosevelt City Council, Duchesne County Democratic Party Chairman, Board of Trustees at Utah State University and Southern Utah State College, Utah State Legislature (1959-1961), Utah State Senate (1961-1962), Orem City Manager (1962-1964), Executive Director of the Utah League of Cities and Towns (1964-1980), and President and Treasurer of the Ridge Homeowners Association in St. George, Utah during his retirement.
Bennie attended Brigham Young University and graduated in 1937 with a BA degree. Bennie was a musician and played the trumpet at BYU and enjoyed playing in a band for dances and other events. After graduating from BYU, he taught instrumental and vocal music in Uintah, Duchesne, and Jordan school districts.
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| Bennie Schmiett (on far right) playing the trumpet at BYU in 1936 |
Bennie married Evelyn Hope Ashton in August, 1939 in Roosevelt, Utah. Bennie and Evelyn had four children: Linda, Leslie, Wendy, and Jim. Bennie and Evelyn were married for 54 years when Evelyn passed away in 1993.
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| Bennie and Evelyn Schmiett at their home in Salt Lake City |
In addition to teaching music and serving in various public offices, Bennie worked as an assistant manager of the Leslie Ashton and Sons store in Roosevelt, Utah for 25 years.
Since grandpa Schmiett lived the longest (and I lived in St. George at the same time as him), I feel like I knew him better than my other grandparents. I remember grandpa always being very cheerful and upbeat, even when my grandmother could be quite demanding. He had a great condo at the Ridge in St. George with a beautiful view of the red rocks and the temple in St. George. I loved coming down to St. George to visit my grandparents during my teenage years.
Shortly after Grandma (Evelyn) passed away in 1993, Bennie married Cleo Allen Mohlman (years earlier they played together in a band at BYU), but she only lived a few years before she passed away in 1997 and he was left alone again. After Cleo died, he didn’t remarry again, but joked that he needed a “nurse with a purse.”
Grandpa had a great sense of humor, and my mom always said that I was like my grandpa when I would laugh at some silly movie. I remember grandpa telling me that there was a picture or a plaque showing him as a Utah legislator, and he was listed as “D. Bennie Schmiett” (the “D” was for “Democrat”). People would ask him what the initial “D” was for and he would joke with them that it was for “Darling”.
Grandpa would often take us to the Chuck a Rama buffet when we came to visit in St. George. One time he took us there (in his later years after Evelyn and Cleo had passed away) and a lady who was sitting at the table behind him accidentally bumped into grandpa as she was getting up from her chair and profusely apologized. He said, “That’s OK. I quite enjoyed it!”
Grandpa had a firm handshake, and he would always tell me that I ought to get into politics with a handshake like that (he should know). I was always impressed with how sharp he was for his age. It was only in his last few years that he was stricken with Alzheimer's and he was not the same person he once was.
Bennie passed away in Ogden, Utah on January 11, 2004 at the ripe old age of 88. He was preceded in death by his wife Evelyn in 1993, his wife Cleo in 1997, his daughter Wendy in 1998, and son Jim in 2002.
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