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Bill Schmidt, a former Centreville Volunteer Fire Department chief whose local service spanned 54 years, was remembered Oct. 4 during a memorial at Fire Station 17. He died Sept. 24 following a stroke. He was 86.
Schmidt and his wife, Joan, were married for 64 years and lived in Centreville for more than half a century. He is also survived by their children, Victoria Marie Schmidt Loucks and Jonathan Scott Schmidt and his wife, Barbara, as well as numerous grandchildren and other relatives.
His influence extended far beyond the firehouse. Schmidt earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in physics from The George Washington University and worked as a physicist at the United States Naval Research Laboratory until his retirement. His work contributed to the invention of the silicon chip used in television and video cameras and the camera technology found in smartphones.
In Centreville, Schmidt became the founding Cubmaster of Cub Scout Pack 1862 and coached SYA girls’ soccer and boys’ T-ball teams. He participated in state and local Republican politics and belonged to several professional and community groups, including the National Association of Retired Federal Employees, the Electrochemical Society, the Centreville Area Study Group, the London Towne Homeowners Association and the Centreville Civic Association.
Schmidt joined the Centreville Volunteer Fire Department in 1971. Over the next 54 years, he served as a firefighter, emergency medical technician, rescue captain, chief, president, board chairman, treasurer and bingo caller.
He played a central role in planning and completing the renovation of the department’s firehouse on Old Centreville Road. He also helped establish a monopole and cell tower on the property, improving local cellular service while generating income for the department.
His wider fire-service leadership included many years as president of the Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association and chairman of the Fairfax County Volunteer Fire Commission. The department recognized him as a life member.
Former CVFD Fire Chief Pete Kirby said in his eulogy that the two “made a great team because I was smart enough to listen and learn from him.” Kirby credited Schmidt with encouraging him to envision himself in roles he had never considered.
Schmidt believed goals could be achieved by understanding people, strengthening the community and improving conditions, Kirby said. He remembered Schmidt as someone who understood both the practical and political sides of a project and who went to work whenever he saw a problem.
“The family, CVFD, the surrounding community have lost a great man; but just look around and you’ll see Bill’s handiwork,” Kirby said.
Patti Blankenship, a former CVFD president and current director, called Schmidt “steady, devoted, forward-thinking and honorable,” describing him as a principled public servant whose life was well lived.
His professional achievements, civic involvement and generosity earned formal recognition in 1998, when then-Sully District Supervisor Michael R. Frey named him the district’s Lord Fairfax.
Away from his professional and volunteer duties, Schmidt was an accomplished craftsman and woodworker. He enjoyed wood turning, restoring furniture and rebuilding a vintage Model A Ford from the ground up. He did not finish the vehicle during his lifetime, but local students are continuing the restoration.
The memorial concluded with CVFD Past President Lauren Kirby ringing a brass bell in a solemn 5-5-5 sequence. The fire-service tradition dates to the 1800s, when the signal was transmitted over telegraph fire-alarm circuits to tell station houses that a firefighter had died in the line of duty and the company would return one member short.
Lauren Kirby called Schmidt “one of the nation’s finest” and remembered him as a cherished husband, father and Centreville resident.
The family asked that memorial donations be made to the American Heart Association or the Centreville Volunteer Fire Department at 5856 Old Centreville Road in Centreville.