Melva M. Schmidt

Melva Mae (Grube) Schmidt passed away on December 15, 2025, at the age of 91, following a recent fall. For the past two years, she had been a resident of Fieldstone Memory Care in Yakima, Washington where she was well cared for and known for being independent.

Melva was born on March 11, 1934, in Auburn, Nebraska. Her parents were Justus and Emma Grube. She graduated from Johnson High School in Johnson, Nebraska in 1952. She was active in softball and volleyball. After high school she enrolled in nursing studies. While in nursing school, she played basketball on the school’s team. On August 23, 1955, she married high school classmate William D. (Bill) Schmidt. She worked as a R.N. in several different hospitals and doctor’s offices in Nebraska, California, and Ohio.

Melva and husband Bill, head of CWSC instructional media department at the college library, came to Ellensburg in 1963. In 1963 and 1964, she worked at the Valley Hospital in Ellensburg and later at Kittitas Valley Community Hospital as a staff nurse and later as Director of Nursing Service and Assistant Administrator. Before her retirement from nursing in 1998, she oversaw quality assurance at KVCH. Those who worked with her at the hospital will remember her for her extreme competence and dedication and her brilliance as an educator and a diplomat. She was instrumental in helping to push through several much-needed reforms and upgrades at the hospital.

She had an extensive list of community and professional involvement: Planned Parenthood, Mental Health Board, Ellensburg Chamber of Commerce, Washington Cattlemen Association, Wilfred Baker Hospital Guild, KVCH Foundation, Clymer Museum Foundation, Washington statewide insurance benefits advisor, American Organization of Nurse Executives, and the Washington State Organization of Nurse Executives. She received a B.A. in Allied Health from Central Washington University and the American Nurse Association Certification in Nursing Administration. She was a member of First Lutheran Church, Study Club, and Rigadoon.

Melva was born on a farm in Nebraska, and her father was a very successful farmer who raised corn, wheat, and hay crops plus cattle and hogs. From her early years she learned how to help on the farm and was a member of 4-H and exhibited beef steers at her county and state fairs. This exposure to agriculture carried over into her married days and she encouraged her children to become involved in 4-H. When she found out that all local clubs in Ellensburg were filled, she formed another 4-H group and served as its leader. This activity later expanded as she and her husband Bill purchased more agricultural land. Over time, they purchased about 100 acres and gradually expanded the cattle herd. By the time that she had nearly 100 cows and calves, her son Andy and his wife Michell began merging their beef herd with Melva’s. In 2016, the Schmidt family was named Cattle Family of the Year for Kittitas County. Apart from her career in nursing, the cattle were Melva’s primary focus for many years.

Melva was able to save most of her energy for her work at Kittitas Valley Community Hospital. An article in the Ellensburg Daily Record in 1985 gave an indication of her work there. With a feature on local career women, the reporter wrote the following: “Should you happen to be visiting at the community hospital, the chances are you would see the Superintendent of Nurses, Melva Schmidt, walking briskly down the corridor. Her bright smile inspires confidence in those around her, and she has a very busy schedule making sure three shifts of nursing duty are properly staffed. Nurses’ workshops and other special events are part of her responsibility. Registered Nurses, Practical nurses, and Nurse’s Aides comprise a total of about 50 employees under her direction. She assumed the position in February of 1972.”

Melva was preceded in death by her husband, Bill; her parents; her sister, Arlene Fortune; and her brothers-in-law, Alvin Peterson and Gene Fortune of Lincoln, Nebraska, as well as Alvin Hugo Schmidt and his wife Ruby, and Robert Eugene Schmidt and his wife Norma, of the San Diego area. She is survived by her children, Mark Schmidt and his wife Rhonda, Marcia Pace and her husband William Pace, and Andrew Schmidt and his wife Michell, all of Ellensburg, Washington; her sister, Phyllis Bates of Le Mars, Iowa; and by eight grandchildren and nine great grandchildren. She also left behind many dearly loved nieces and nephews.

Memorials may be given to the William and Melva Schmidt Memorial Scholarship at Central Washington University. A private graveside service will be held. A celebration of life may be held at a later date.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Johnston & Williams of Ellensburg. Online condolences may be left for the family at www.johnston-williams.com