In a galaxy far away, the spirit of Obi Wan Kenobi, a Jedi Knight, is passing on a lightsaber to Stephen J. Schmidt, who at age 39 passed away of natural causes, on August 29, 2017, in Toledo, Ohio, surrounded by his family. 
In a perfect STAR WARS’ world, Princess Leia would award him with a medal of honor (like she did Hans Solo and Luke Skywalker) for the love he showed his wife, Mandy, and their children, son Christopher (age 20) and daughters Sydny (age 15) and Jasmine (age 12).
A remarkable story revolves around Stephen: He was a lover of music (and well known in the field), devotee of all STAR WARS films, and an avid sports fan. He was born in Napoleon, Ohio, on November 13, 1977, to Jim Schmidt (Napoleon, Ohio) and Joyce Schmidt (Savannah, Georgia), and they survive as well as a brother, a sister, his grandparents, and a host of aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, other family, and many great friends.
Especially close to Stephen were his in-laws, Dave and Cheryl Thornton (Bryan, Ohio) and Kirk and Lydia Niese (Florida) as well as his wife Mandy’s siblings.
Why a medal of honor? Stephen J. Schmidt attended Owens Community College and the University of Toledo while helping to raise three children and working full time as an Industrial Maintenance Technician-a feat the wookie co-pilot, the protocol droid C-P30 (who could speak over 6 million languages), and the astromech droid R2-D2 (the versatile utility robot) would applaud. They never gave up, and neither did Stephen. 
He earned several certificates to fix string instruments, and this was one of Stephen’s exceptional talents.
Stephen J. Schmidt, a smart, witty, gentle soul will be remembered in a “Celebration of Life” on November 18, 2017 (from 6:00-11:00 p.m.) at the downtown Toledo Summit Street Events Center. His best friend and High School Sweetheart, Mandy, and his children Christopher, Sydny, and Jasmine invite you to participate with special memories. In lieu of flowers, a special Stephen J. Schmidt Memorial Fund has been set up at First Federal Bank of the Midwest, to help those he loved the most.
 “May the force be with all of them” is something Stephen would have understood and hoped for his family, because it was intentionally an expression of hope for others and similar to the Christian dominus vobiscum (Latin for “the Lord be with you”). Stephen J. Schmidt, STAR WARS’ afficiando, would have understood that too.