Tom and Ann Schmuecker's Obituary
Rest in Peace - Tom and Ann Schmuecker
OBITUARY FOR THOMAS KEIR SCHMUECKER
Thomas Keir Schmuecker, 89, passed away on Tuesday, March 14, 2023, in Mountain Home, Arkansas. Tom was born on August 28, 1933, in Blairstown, Iowa, to Ervin and Hazel Keir Schmuecker. He graduated from high school and went on to earn a business degree from the University of Iowa in 1961. He married Shirley Light in 1959 in Iowa and ran the Pinehurst Farms with his brother and father through the 1960's. In 1973, Tom and Ann bought Wapsi Fly and moved to Independence, Iowa, from the farm in Amana, Iowa. They moved the company and the family to Arkansas in 1978, where Wapsi Fly's success has continued. He became actively involved in the community, where he loved serving on the board of Baxter Regional Medical Center from 1986 until he retired in 2016. He was also a member of the Chamber of Commerce and Mountain Home Rotary Club. Tom served on the American Fly Fishing Tackle Manufacturers Association Board. He was a recipient of many awards from the Federation of Fly Fishers, including the Lee Wolf Award for Outstanding Fly Fishing Business in 1995. The South Council of the Federation of Fly Fishers awarded Tom with the Fly Tyer of the Year Award.
Tom is survived by four sons, Karl Schmuecker, Joe Schmuecker, John Schmuecker, and Eric Schmuecker; five grandchildren, Emily, E.J., Claire, Zak, and Isabelle; great-grandson, Sebastian; brother, Jim Schmuecker; and sister, Kathryn Dochterman. He is preceded in death by parents; and wife, Shirley Ann Schmuecker.
SHIRLEY SCHMUECKER OBITUARY
Shirley Ann Schmuecker, 87, passed away on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023, in Mountain Home, Arkansas. Ann was born on April 2, 1935, in Newhall, Iowa, to Robert and Anna Becker Light. She graduated from Newhall, Iowa High School and went on to work her way through college, earning a teaching degree from the University of Iowa. She married Tom Schmuecker in 1959 in Iowa. She started her teaching career in California and taught for 20 years after moving back to Iowa.
In 1973, she and Tom bought Wapsi Fly and moved to Independence, Iowa, from the farm in Amana, Iowa. Tom and Ann moved the company and the family to Arkansas in 1978, where Ann was instrumental in laying the foundation for Wapsi Fly's success. Ann's greatest passion was education and she enjoyed politics. She was a past president of the Women's Republican Party and the Damsel Women's Fly Fishing Club.
Ann is survived by her husband, Tom Schmuecker; four sons, Karl Schmuecker, Joe Schmuecker, John Schmuecker and Eric Schmuecker; five grandchildren, Emily, E.J., Claire, Zak and Isabelle; great-grandson Sebastian; sister-in-law Dorothy Light; and brother-in-law, Larry Nolan. She was preceded in death by her parents; two brothers, John Light and Ernie Light; and four sisters, Florence Light, Cordy Schiefer, Roberta Schulte and Susan Nolan.
Tom is survived by four sons, Karl Schmuecker, Joe Schmuecker, John Schmuecker, and Eric Schmuecker; five grandchildren, Emily, E.J., Claire, Zak, and Isabelle; great-grandson, Sebastian; brother, Jim Schmuecker; and sister, Kathryn Dochterman. He is preceded in death by parents; and wife, Shirley Ann Schmuecker.
SHIRLEY SCHMUECKER OBITUARY
In 1973, she and Tom bought Wapsi Fly and moved to Independence, Iowa, from the farm in Amana, Iowa. Tom and Ann moved the company and the family to Arkansas in 1978, where Ann was instrumental in laying the foundation for Wapsi Fly's success. Ann's greatest passion was education and she enjoyed politics. She was a past president of the Women's Republican Party and the Damsel Women's Fly Fishing Club.
Ann is survived by her husband, Tom Schmuecker; four sons, Karl Schmuecker, Joe Schmuecker, John Schmuecker and Eric Schmuecker; five grandchildren, Emily, E.J., Claire, Zak and Isabelle; great-grandson Sebastian; sister-in-law Dorothy Light; and brother-in-law, Larry Nolan. She was preceded in death by her parents; two brothers, John Light and Ernie Light; and four sisters, Florence Light, Cordy Schiefer, Roberta Schulte and Susan Nolan.