Obituaries & Guestbook

Neil A. Schmid, age 28, of Manitowoc, passed away on Monday, January 8, 2024, peacefully and comfortably in his home. He was born in Sheboygan on November 17, 1995, to Allen and Lori (Oberg) Schmid.
Neil attended school at Wilson Elementary, Howards Grove, St.Dominic’s and graduated from Kohler High School in 2014. In middle and high school, Neil was a member of 4-H clubs. He received awards for blacksmithing, photography and woodworking. He also showed rabbits and horses.
He began attending Lakeshore Technical College in his high school years, and continued on after graduation. Over the years, Neil was enrolled in many different programs there, unsure of what degree to pursue, as he enjoyed anything with mechanics and anything science related. He received a few technical degrees and certificates, including industrial maintenance and nuclear science. Up until his cancer diagnosis, he was enrolled at LTC in the Electrical-Mechanical Automation Technology Program. He was planning to complete his associates degree and continue on for a bachelor’s degree in a similar field.
In August of 2014, he began dating his wife. On October 28, 2022, he was united in marriage to Hannah Cevaal in Manitowoc.
Neil started working as a waiter at Parkview Family Restaurant in Sheboygan Falls, in high school, and later became an evening shift manager. He worked for Kohler at Whistling Straits Golf Course, as a part of the grounds crew. Neil also worked in hospitality at Kohler, working as a waiter in banquets. In 2014, Neil made a job transfer at Kohler Company, and began working the foundry as a maintenance mechanic. Years later, he moved up to an electo-mechanical maintenance technician position. Neil was currently working as an electro-mechanical maintenance safety coordinator, at Kohler Company in the foundry.
Neil lived life to the fullest. He enjoyed riding motorcycles, driving and working on cars, going to concerts or seeing live music, taking road trips, going to amusement parks, riding atv’s, spending time outdoors, hiking, going to the beach, working on home improvement projects, going to museums, looking at artwork, reading anything about history, collecting coins, gardening, trying new foods, cooking and grilling, bonfires with neighbors and friends, spending time with his wife Hannah, and playing with his dogs, Cooper and Shelby.
Neil put up a huge fight to cancer, one that most could not imagine. His cancer was rare and extremely aggressive. Neil fought day in and day out. When doctors told him things weren’t good, he would just ask what the next treatment was. When doctors told him to stop, he would just find a different doctor that would treat him. He went through multiple surgeries, including a major abdominal surgery, leaving him to re-learn to walk. He was given over 14 rounds of chemotherapy. He went through two stem cell transplants, leaving him sick and without an immune system for weeks. He also was enrolled in many research studies, to help understand his cancer better and to hopefully help the next person with his type of cancer. He never complained though, he took cancer head-on. He frequently said: “I’m okay with losing, I’m not ok with giving up”.
Survivors include his wife, Hannah Schmid, of Manitowoc; parents, Allen, and Lori (Oberg) Schmid; a sister, Wendi Schmid, all of Sheboygan; grandmother, Shirley Schmid, of Oshkosh; Aunt and Godmother, Barb Lemmens, of Sheboygan; father-in-law and mother-in-law, Paul and Bonnie Cevaal, of Elkhart Lake; a brother-in-law, Travis (Angel) Cevaal, of Sheboygan Falls; and niece, Ava Cevaal; He was also survived by many aunts, uncles, cousins, and other relatives.
Neil was preceded in death by his maternal grandparents, Robert and May Oberg; paternal grandfather, Charles Schmid; an uncle, Robert ‘Bobby’ Oberg Jr; aunt, Sharon Oberg; ‘aunt’ Gail Butzin; aunt Wendy Schmid; and grandmother-in-law, Kathleen ‘Kitty’ Kasten.
A memorial service for Neil will be held on Sunday, January 14, 2024, at 1:00 p.m. at the Reinbold-Novak Funeral Home, 1535 S. 12th Street, Sheboygan, with Chaplin Shawn Wehner officiating. Family and friends may gather at the funeral home on Sunday morning from 11:00 a.m. until the time of service at 1:00 p.m. Burial will take place at Sheboygan Falls Cemetery.
A heartfelt thank you for exceptional care is extended to all the staff at the Vince Lombardi Cancer Clinic in Sheboygan, Dr. Lawerence Einhorn and Dr. Timothy Materson at IU Health in Indianapolis, and special thank you to Dr. John Burfeind at Froedtert, for giving Neil a fighting chance; And finally, thank you to the staff with the Sharon S. Richardson Hospice and Palliative care.

In lieu of flowers, donations would be greatly appreciated to the following organizations:
For cancer support in the community: Gumby’s Club
(http://www.gumbysclubforeacure.org/ ), Pink Heals Manitowoc (http://pinkheals.us)
For research on Testicular cancer:
Testicular Cancer Awareness Foundation (https://www.testicularcancerawarenessfoundation.org/donate )