In times of unimaginable sorrow and pain, human nature is to close off, ask “why us?” and shut down. A Casper couple has done just the opposite — twice. Phil and Jody Schmidt’s strength and perseverance in times of hardship are examples of why they have been chosen as the distinguished honorees for 2019 Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Wyoming Awards and Recognition Breakfast.

 “We lost our son Evan at 11-1/2 years old and son Reid at 29. It sucks but as a result we feel we have been able to help others during sucky times,” said Phil Schmidt of he and wife Jody’s extensive community involvement. 

Indeed, Phil’s list of nonprofit board memberships alone fill a page. But what those lines don’t tell are the countless hours worked, dollars raised and personal dollars contributed behind the scenes by the couple working as a team.

 Married 37 years, the Schmidt’s are a force when presented with a challenge beyond raising six children. They moved to Casper from South Dakota in 1982 and have resided here since. First working as a Certified Public Accountant, Phil moved to the private sector in 1988, becoming president and majority owner of Greiner Motor Companies.

 At that time, Greiner was distressed to the point of an uncertain future. Nearly 30 years later, thanks in large part to his business smarts and personal touch, Greiner had grown to three dealerships, employing almost 300 people with an annual sales volume of over $100 million.

 Meanwhile, Jody, clearly the “grace” in the grit and grace partnership, has worked tirelessly at St. Anthony Tri-Parish School, within the parish at St. Anthony’s in a number of areas, at Holy Cross Center in the food bank ministry and on the boards of Interfaith and NAMI. Her re-imagining and rebranding of the school fundraiser, Partners in Education (P.I.E.) was incredibly successful and remains so today. A breast cancer survivor, she has exhibited her natural grace during that battle, asking for prayers for others ahead of herself.

Phil received the highly prestigious Salute to Dealers community service award from Ford Motor Company in 2009, one of six out of 6,000 to receive it. He says he could have achieved nothing on his resume without Jody’s help.

Casperites, whether involved in youth, community, service or church organizations, know that our community would not be the same without the grit and grace of Phil and Jody Schmidt. The couple will be honored at the 21^st Awards and Recognition Breakfast to be held later this year. Tickets and reservations will be available through the Boys & Girls Club beginning in June.