Richard Christian Schmoll

SUN CITY WEST - Richard 'Rick' Christian Schmoll, of Sun City West, Ariz. and Corvallis, Mont., passed away in Montana on June 28, 2012. He was born on May 9, 1935, in Popple Grove, Minn. to Christian Frederick and Evelyn Luella (Story) Schmoll. Rick was the third of four children and the only boy. As a young boy, Rick helped work the family farm, and this was the beginning of his lifelong dedication to hard work and self-reliance. He moved to Montana in his teens, and he considered it home for the rest of his life, no matter where else he had to live to find work. Rick had many different jobs during his life, during which he built many skills: building bridges, installing highway signs and traffic lights, putting up fencing, rigging in the oil fields, and owning and operating several small businesses. Even after he retired Rick was never idle, as there was always a project that needed doing, a machine that needed fixing, or a friend or neighbor who needed help. Rick found his lifetime companion in 1992 when he married Florence 'Flo' Mable (James) Schmoll. Rick and Flo lived in many different places, but most recently split their time between Sun City West, Ariz. and the Bitterroot Valley in Mont. On the rare occasions he wasn't working, Rick enjoyed sitting on the porch with Flo observing the neighborhood activities, watching a Western, or enjoying an afternoon cappuccino or bowl of berries from the garden. The family suggests that in lieu of flowers donations be made in Rick's name to the American Cancer Society.