Donald E. Schmelzle

Donald Edward “Baseball” Schmelzle, 92, formerly of Payson and Quincy, passed away at the Compass House Hospice facility in Centreville, Maryland on Friday, April 3, 2026 from a bacterial infection that had travelled to his heart.

Born in Quincy, moving briefly to Seneca, Illinois, he found himself returning to the Payson area where he lived with his grandparents, Charles and Lena Uebner, where he loved tending to the fire in the one-room schoolhouse and working on his grandparents’ farm. After graduating from Payson Seymour high school, where he was active in sports, he enlisted in the United States Air Force serving as a medic at various bases including Johnston Island for four years. This was one of his most prized accomplishments. Soon after, he joined the Montgomery County, Maryland motorcycle police where he remained until his move to Florida. Once in Florida, with his love for sports, he tried out for the Miami Dolphins where he played on their practice team. The majority of his career was spent in the insurance industry as an adjustor. Upon retirement, he found that working at T&D golf shop brought him much joy and he continued there until he was 89.

Don remained an avid golfer, baseball fan, and memorabilia collector, teaching golf and helping others. In 2023, due to deteriorating health, he moved to Queen Anne, Maryland to live with his daughter. There he was active in the local YMCA senior program where he enjoyed working out and playing bingo. He enjoyed associating with his peers and loved to make them laugh. Maintaining the yard and tending his roses kept him busy. Eating out with family and friends was another favorite pastime.

Don was preceded in death by his parents, Rosa (Uebner) Schmelzle Lemen and Edward Schmelzle. Don leaves behind a daughter, Cheryl Lynne Schmelzle (Lyne) of Queen Anne, Maryland; a sister, Rosann Schmelzle Sprenger (Don) of Coatsburg, Illinois; and a niece, Kristen Sprenger, of Fairfax, Virginia.

Funeral services will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, at Lummis Hamilton Funeral Home in Camp Point, IL. Burial with military honors will follow at Graymount Cemetery in Coatsburg, IL. There will be no visitation; however, friends are invited to attend the service.

Online condolences may be left at www.hamiltonfuneralhomes.net.