SPOONER — Longtime pilot and Spooner businessman Dave Schmitz lost his life in a helicopter crash on Saturday near Lakeville, Minnesota.
Schmitz’s father opened Schmitz’s Economart in Spooner (formerly Supervalue and then Tri-Mart) in 1937. The Schmitz family has run the grocery store since then, with many expansions and remodels over the years. Schmitz has three children with his wife, Ellen: Gretchen, Ingrid and Ted. Ted now oversees the business. Schmitz and his family have been active community members for many years.
Schmitz was one of the co-founders of the T6 Thunder flight team, with thousands of hours of flying time in military aircraft, according to the team’s Facebook page. He was flying with them at the time of the crash. He served his country and flew in Vietnam and also in his own T6 and Huey helicopters. Schmitz was well-known for flying overhead at events throughout the area…