Herb Schmidt
1946 - 2020
Herb Schmidt, a well known Napa Valley winery advisor and personality, has passed after a long battle with cancer, heart, and age-related illnesses. At his passing, he was surrounded by his family, particularly his loving daughters Julianna Jayne Boydston and Devon Elizabeth Boutin.
Born on April 7, 1946, in Detroit, Michigan, to Herbert Adolph and Florence Helen Schmidt, Herb was the youngest of five children, Carol Marie Bishop, David Herbert Schmidt (dec.), Ted Alan Schmidt, and Don Michael Schmidt.
After graduating from high school and college in Michigan, Herb served in the U.S. Army at Fort Hood, Texas, 1970-1972. Civilian life lead Herb to the U.S. Virgin Islands, where he cultivated many talents, joys, and passions - laughing, telling jokes, listening to steel drum music, drinking rum, and driving boats. Once, after being robbed, he asked his dad to wire him enough money to return home. The $10.00 Western Union transfer included a note from his father, "This should be enough to pay for a cab ride to the nearest hotel where you can get a job washing dishes."
Determined to continue island life, he landed a job working for Laurance Rockefeller as Food and Beverage Director of Little Dix Bay Resort on Virgin Gorda, one of the many famous Rock Resorts that included the Mauna Kea in Hawaii, the Grand Teton, Jackson and Jenny Lake Lodges in Wyoming, the Woodstock Inn in Vermont, and the Boulders in Carefree Arizona. Eventually he became Food and Beverage Director for both the Little Dix Bay and Caneel Bay hotels.
Mr. Rockefeller had a rule that all his island employees had to return to the mainland at some point to escape "Island Fever." Herb went from sea level to the Grand Teton mountains to manage Rockefeller's Jenney Lake Lodge in Jackson, Wyoming.
Following his move to the Napa Valley, Herb became the General Manager of the Meadowood Resort. In the late 1970s, Herb joined the Robert Mondavi Winery, managing guest relations programs and the Summer Concert Series. Herb loved and worked very closely with Mr. Mondavi and Margrit Biever. Over time his role expanded significantly. As a "can-do" guy, Herb made repeated trips to Washington D.C. during the Clinton Administration lobbying for the Robert Mondavi Winery and the Napa Valley Wine Community's interests. Herb ultimately became Co-CEO of Opus One, Napa Valleys' world-famous joint venture between Robert Mondavi and Baron Philippe de Rothschild.
After leaving Mondavi, Herb again applied his communication and relationship building skills as a lobbyist in Sacramento for the wine industry and individual clients.
Herb was well known for his wicked and dry sense of humor - he loved Mel Brooks, and he loved to make people laugh. The best part of Herb's workday was taking friends and clients to lunch to Bistro Don Giovanni, Mustards, or The Rutherford Grill….. making sure all were laughing and drinking Robert Mondavi Fume Blanc.
Above all else, he loved his two daughters Julianna Jayne and Devon Elizabeth Schmidt. They were his pride and joy. He loved taking them for rides on the "Marianna II," a classic wood 21ft Century powerboat on Lake Tahoe. He was very proud of the accomplished women both his daughters became.
Herb was overjoyed to witness his daughters' marriages to wonderful men Jake Boydston and Kevin Boutin; he would tear up whenever Julianna brought his three grandchildren to visit, Emma Jayne, Jack Easton, and Avelyn Christine.
In his last years, Herb was beautifully taken care of by the remarkable people at Aegis Living in Napa. They took exceptional care of him and treated him like family. Paul Oseso, General Manager at Aegis Living, was Herb's friend. Paul went way out of his way to see that he was happy well cared for.
A Celebration of his Herb's life will be announced when it is safe to all be together.
Published by The Weekly Calistogan on Dec. 10, 2020.
The Link LonkDecember 10, 2020 at 03:58PM
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Herb Schmidt Obituary - CA | The Weekly Calistogan - Legacy.com
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