Friends, family gather to remember the victims of July murder at Maquoketa Caves State Park
CEDAR FALLS — Friends and neighbors gathered Tuesday night to remember three victims of July's unexplained murders at Maquoketa Caves State Park.
Tyler Schmidt, Sara Schmidt, both 42, and their daughter Lula, 6, were shot to death while on a camping trip July 22. Their 9-year-old son, Arlo, was at the campground but survived the incident.
"This evening we’ll cry for this devastating loss but we’ll also smile and laugh," said Rob Green, Cedar Falls' mayor and a friend of the couple.
Green and other friends shared their own thoughts and read reflections from dozens of others to a crowd of close to 200 people gathered in the warm August air on the lawn of Overman Park.
More: What we know about the Maquoketa Caves State Park shooting in Iowa
“Tyler and Sarah were the kindest gentlest most thoughtful human beings and they both had a sense of humor that caught you by surprise," Monica Iliff read from a written reflection by another friend.
The stories came from everyone to one of Sarah’s graduate school advisors to one of Lula's 6-year-old old classmates.
A particularly powerful moment came when Green read read a letter from the staff of Lincoln Elementary School — where Lula and Arlo had both been students.
"Our school is a better place due to your involvement and support," Green read. "Thank you for the extraordinary gift of your children.”
One section of the letter was addressed directly to the lone surviving member of the family.
“Arlo, you are a brave and intelligent boy. Team Lincoln will always be here for you. We love you," Green read.
More: Opinion: Maquoketa Caves Park shooting means my quiet, rural world nearby has changed
What we know about the murder
A 911 call brought law enforcement officers to the campground at 6:23 a.m. Friday where they found three members of the Schmidt family dead inside a tent.
A fourth person, apparent shooter Anthony Orlando Sherwin, also died of a gunshot wound that morning and was eventually located "some distance from the campsite but still in the park," according to Mitch Mortvedt, assistant director of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.
Investigators believe Sherwin, 23 of La Vista, Nebraska, killed the Schmidts with a homemade "ghost" gun before turning it on himself, investigative sources told the Des Moines Register.
State police have not released any information on a possible motive of the shooting.
Sherwin's relatives have said they do not believe him to have been capable of murder.
More: Presumed killer in Maquoketa Caves triple shooting used a ghost gun, investigative sources say
What we know about the Schmidts
Sarah Schmidt was born in Kansas City, Kansas, according to the funeral home. Growing up, she played percussion and piano and was in the high school marching band.
She graduated from Washington High School in Washington, Missouri, before attending Truman State University as a Truman Scholar. She earned her master's degree from the University of Kansas in Lawrence.
Sarah worked for Monarch Watch for several years and had been working at the Cedar Falls Public Library for the past year.
More: Maquoketa Caves State Park camper heard a scream and a loud noise near site of triple homicide
She was an avid reader and enjoyed "knitting, sewing Halloween costumes, crafting, making hand made greeting cards, being outdoors, birding, entomology, gardening, snowshoeing, cake decorating and pottery at the Hearst Center for the Arts," according to her obituary.
Lula Schmidt was born in 2015 in Lawrence, Kansas. Much like her parents, Lula enjoyed outdoor activities, playing with her cousins, art, reading and animals, according to her obituary.
Lula attended Farmstead Preschool and Pre-K at Lincoln Elementary School in Cedar Falls. She loved her stuffed animals, her Barbies and Our Generation dolls, and being at school with her teachers and friends.
She had a "great sense of humor," according to her obituary, often helped her parents cook and assisted her brother with his animation scripts.
Private services have already been held for the family, with burial at Greenwood Cemetery in Cedar Falls, the obituary said.
Staff Writer Grace Altenhofen contributed to this story.
Francesca Block is a breaking news reporter at the Des Moines Register. Reach her at FBlock@registermedia.com or on Twitter at @francescablock3.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Celebration of life for the Schmidt family takes place in Cedar Falls
