Dean Schmelling

Lt. Colonel Dean Charles Schmelling, U.S. Army Retired, of Bandera, Texas died on October 18, in San Antonio after suffering a stroke. \r\n\r\nHe was born in San Francisco, CA on May 21, 1948, the first child of Gwendolyn and Web Schmelling. He married Norma Inman Schmelling on December 17, 1984 in Austin, Texas.\r\n\r\nDean received his Bachelor of Arts in Art with a minor in cinema from Sacramento State University. He received a Master of Information Systems from the University of Southern California. \r\n\r\nDean served over twenty-three years in the U.S. Army. He served as an infantry officer in Schweinfurt, Germany, Fort Hood, Texas and Leavenworth, Kansas. He served with the Military Intelligence Brigade and the Special Operations Command Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii. His last assignment was as Commander of Camp Stanley Storage Activity in Leon Springs, Texas. While in the Army he attended the Command and General Staff College and National Defense University. He was an Airborne Ranger and was especially proud of receiving his Royal Thai Parachute Wings from the Royal Thai Air Force while on assignment in Thailand.\r\n\r\nAfter retiring from the Army, Dean worked for thirteen years as a programmer for QA Solutions in San Antonio, Texas. To define Dean by his work history would limit understanding his remarkable life and intellect. Dean read voraciously and spent much time reflecting on existential philosophy. He did not take life or politics lightly and never outgrew his search for the "whys" of this world. He also grew wonderful tomatoes and was an outstanding gourmet cook. We will continue harvesting from his garden until the first frost. He enjoyed auditing classes at Schreiner University taking courses ranging from literature to religion to history.\r\n\r\nIn addition to fearlessly jumping out of airplanes, he was known among his friends as the man who fought off a rattlesnake in the middle of the night with only a can of insect spray. Dean and Norma moved to Bandera in 1995 where they owned the Circle S Ranch. He served on the Board of the Ranchers and Landowners Association of Texas and was on the founding Board and did the initial computer set-up for the Arthur Nagel Community Clinic. He was a Master Gardener and Master Naturalist. He had a passion for native plants and animals, eroscaping, cedar eradication, rain water collection and the many cats and dogs with whom he shared his life, especially his three-legged dog, Patches, and his cat, Johnny Manziel. Though he grew up a California boy, Dean quickly adapted to Texas and adopted the native dress of cowboy boots, belt and hat. It was his hat which drew the most attention since it was embellished with a rattlesnake hat band complete with the rattles.\r\n\r\nDean was preceded in death by his father, Wilbert C. Schmelling of Sacramento, CA. \r\n\r\nDean is survived by his wife of thirty years, Norma Inman Schmelling of Bandera, Texas, his sister, Marlene Schmelling and his brother Clay Schmelling both of Sacramento CA, his mother, Gwendolyn Schmelling of Sacramento, CA, nieces Hilda Schmelling of Oakland, CA and Evelyn Schmelling of Sacramento, CA and aunt Clare Jean Pawlowski of Armstrong Creek, Wisconsin. \r\n\r\nMemorials may be made to the Animal Welfare Society of Bandera County, P.O. Box 64038, Pipe Creek, Texas 78063 or the Arthur Nagel Clinic, P.O. Box 519, Bandera, TX 78003. The family wishes to express heartfelt gratitude to Shelia Dill, Kathleen Crowley, Judith Abbott and Michel Hambrick for the compassion, love and support they provided Norma during this most difficult time.\r\n\r\nA graveside service with full military honors will be held on January 2, 2015 at 1:30 p.m. at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery with The Rev. Dr. B. Lee Ligon-Borden presiding.\r\n\r\n[contact-form-7 id="73" title="Send Condolences"]\r\n