Paul Michael Schmitt

Paul Schmitt died on October 5, 2021 at the KVH Hospital in Ellensburg with his family at his side, after a long illness. The cause of death was cancer.

He was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1947, the fourth of 12 children of Francis Schmitt, a dentist and Eileen Schmitt, an RN and homemaker.  His early life was spent in Garden City, Michigan. He enjoyed the outdoors and became an Eagle Scout.  

He attended the University of Detroit High School, where he was educated by the Jesuits and became an elite runner. He held the school record for the 880 yard dash for several years. He declined an athletic scholarship from a neighboring institution to attend the University of Michigan for an undergraduate degree, followed by his MD degree.  

He interned as a family doctor at Swedish Hospital in Seattle from 1973 to 1974. He enlisted in the United States Public Health Service and served as a commissioned medical officer on the Navajo Nation in Shiprock, New Mexico for 3 years.  In 1977, an opportunity with the National Health Service Corps brought him to Roslyn, Washington and started a 40 year career as a family doctor in Cle Elum, Washington.  He enjoyed his medical practice and was grateful to his patients and colleagues for many unforgettable experiences over the years. After retiring in 2017, he volunteered as a teacher for the residency program at Community Health of Central Washington in Ellensburg. 

While in college he met the love of his life, Cindy, and they married in 1973.  They raised three sons:  Gideon, Morgan, and Evan.  For many years he was a member of the Roslyn Kiwanis Club, being president multiple times and the race director of the Runner Stumbles, a local 5k/10K race. With Roslyn Kiwanis as its sponsor, he participated as Committee Chairman with Roslyn’s Boy Scout Troop 488. He volunteered with the Roslyn Fire Department, retiring after 35 years of service, and continued to serve as a board member and president of the Roslyn Firemen’s Association until his health declined in late 2021.  He was active in the volunteer ski patrol at Alpental for 30 years.  

He enjoyed hiking, climbing, skiing and camping with family and friends, and riding his bicycles on the roads and trails of Upper Kittitas County. He represented the cycling community as a board member of the Teanaway Community Forest. A local trail on the Roslyn ridge was named “Paul’s Trail” in his honor in 2020.   

Dr. Schmitt was preceded in death by his parents, his brother Mark, his sisters Anne and Lucy, and his son Gideon.  

He is survived by his wife, Cindy, his sons Morgan (Jenifer) and Evan (Samantha), two grandchildren, three sisters and five brothers.

He has requested that memorial contributions be made to the Roslyn Firemen’s Association, PO Box 1066, Roslyn, WA 98941.

Johnston & Williams Funeral Home and Crematory of Cle Elum has been entrusted with caring for Dr. Schmitt and his family.  Online condolences may be left at www.johnston-williams.com 

PLEASE NOTE: (January 11, 2024) -- The recording of this service has been archived and removed from our server.  If you wish to obtain a copy of this recording on a thumb drive, please contact our office.