Dr. Richard P. Schmidtke passed away peacefully with family by his side on May 8th, 2024. Richard was born in 1940 in St. Louis to Dr. Edwin C. Schmidtke and Helen W. (Pauley) Schmidtke. The family moved to Columbia where Richard attended the Turner one-room schoolhouse and Jefferson Junior High. In 1958, he graduated from Hickman High School where he was an active member in the Verse Choir. Richard attended Westminster College, in Fulton before he transferred to the University of Missouri and graduated from the College of Veterinary Medicine in 1965.
After graduating, Richard was commissioned in the United States Army serving in Verdun, France, and Brunssum, Netherlands, where he met and married his wife, Ans, in 1968. Richard and Ans moved to Clayton, Mo., in 1969, where Richard entered into private practice as a Veterinarian.
In 1973, he and his family moved to Mexico where he joined the Mexico Animal Hospital as a partner and many came to know him as “Doc”. Richard was a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association and the Missouri Veterinary Medical Society. He was a member of the Mexico Jaycees, and was a longtime member of the Mexico Kiwanis Club.
He retired from the Mexico Animal Hospital in 2007 and more recently moved to Omaha, Neb. Richard enjoyed hunting, fishing, and being out in nature. He was a skillful and beloved veterinarian. He also enjoyed cooking and shared this by smoking pork butts for the annual Mexico Kiwanis picnic, flipping pancakes at Kiwanis Pancake Day, or baking bread from a well-tended sourdough starter.
Richard was preceded in death by his mother, father, and sister, Kathryn Elizabeth. He is survived by his brother, Ned; wife, Ans Schmidtke; children, Jozef, Kathy, and John; and five grandsons.
The family is planning a private service. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Audrain County Humane Society (https://www.audrainhumanesociety.org/ahs-sponsorships) or Mexico Kiwanis Club (make checks to: Mexico Kiwanis Club and send to PO Box 53, Mexico, MO 65265).
