Obituary of Richard Francis Schmidt

Richard F. Schmidt, 61, died unexpectedly at his home in Reston, VA on Saturday, June 30^th, 2018.   Born in South Amboy, New Jersey on September 11, 1956, he was the son of the late Norman and Mildred Schmidt. He leaves behind his beloved wife, Natalie; cherished children, daughter Kristin Wight (Jaeson) of Gainsville ,VA and son Brian Schmidt of Ashburn, VA; their mother Melissa Dates; and stepson William Gurley of Massachusetts.  Richard is also survived by two sisters, Marilyn Franz (Art) of Florida and Valerie Schmidt of Massachusetts, a brother, Norman Schmidt (Heleen) of Belgium, many nieces and nephews, and Copper (his Australian Shepard).

Following high school, where he excelled as a gymnast, Richard went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the University of Ohio, a Master of Science in Management from Purdue University and a Master of Science in Systems Management from the University of Southern California. Throughout his forty-year professional career, he maintained a sharp focus on the challenging fields of systems and software engineering.

From 1979 to 1988, Richard proudly served in the U.S. Air Force as Manager, Mission-Critical Computer Resources Acquisition at Headquarters, U.S. Air Force Systems Command, chairing the Joint Logistics Commanders Computer Resource Management Working Group; and, Manager, Inertial Upper Stage Rocket Mission Operations Software at the Headquarters, U.S Air Force Space Division, where he was instrumental in successful satellite deployment earning him the Meritorious Service Medal.  Following his service, Richard established a career in consulting with other government agencies including providing software quality control support to the highly important NASA Constellation Program’s Software and Avionics Integration Office.  At the time of his death he was working on important initiatives for Strategic Insight, Ltd. in the areas of cybersecurity and computer software security for the Department of the Navy. 

Richard authored the book Software Engineering: Architecture-driven Development, an interdisciplinary approach to software development with an extensive elaboration of the application of Systems Engineering principles and practices as applied to Software products, which was published in multiple languages by Morgan-Kauffmann Publishing. 

Richard was a devoted and passionate fan of the New England Patriots and the Red Sox. He enjoyed tennis, golf, and gaming –a true Risk aficionado.  Richard’s cooking skills, which he developed with his engineering precision and lots of love, were wildly appreciated by his wife and her colleagues.  Richard will be remembered by all that had the pleasure of knowing him as an intelligent, kind, and loving man of many talents. 

The family will receive visitors at 10 a.m. on Saturday June 7, 2018 at Adams Green Funeral Home, Herndon, VA with a memorial service being held at 11:00 a.m.