Jacob Schmalzle Built a Different Kind of Probate Company

Most people never plan to work in probate. The industry usually finds them after a death in the family, a confusing legal process, or a stressful estate dispute. For Jacob Schmalzle, it started with a request from someone at church.

Today, Schmalzle is the founder of Spirit of Service (SOS), a faith-based estate executor and trustee organization that works with families navigating probate and trust administration. The company operates with a simple idea that has helped it stand out in a very traditional industry: estate administration should focus on service, not just transactions.

That idea came from experience, not theory.

“I agreed to help someone from our church retirement community before I even knew it was a paid role,” Schmalzle says. “At the time, I just saw someone who needed help.”

That small decision eventually turned into a business model that now works with families, churches, and communities across the country.

How Jacob Schmalzle entered the probate industry

Before founding Spirit of Service, Schmalzle did not expect estate administration to become his career path.

Then life changed quickly.

Within a short period, he lost both his father and grandmother. His father, Pastor Bob, had been a major influence on his life and faith.

The losses forced Schmalzle to learn the probate and estate planning process firsthand.

“After losing my father and grandmother within a few months, I had to figure out probate while grieving,” he says. “There were forms, deadlines, court procedures, and financial questions everywhere. It felt like learning a second language during one of the hardest periods of my life.”

The experience exposed a problem that many families face, he says.

Most people have no idea what an executor actually does until they suddenly become one.

Why executor responsibilities are often overlooked

Estate planning conversations usually focus on wills and beneficiaries.

The executor role often gets less attention.

That surprised Schmalzle.

“The person managing the estate may spend a year handling paperwork, court filings, bank coordination, property issues, and family communication,” he says. “But families sometimes choose that person in five minutes without discussing what the role really involves.”

He saw how quickly the workload could overwhelm relatives who already had jobs, children, and personal responsibilities.

In many cases, families eventually outsource the work to attorneys or financial institutions.

That observation became one of the key ideas behind Spirit of Service.

The big idea behind spirit of service

Schmalzle officially founded Spirit of Service in 2025.

The company provides professional executor and trustee services, with a strong focus on efficiency, communication, and stewardship.

The structure is different from many traditional probate service models.

Spirit of Service charges no more than the state minimum executor fee of three percent and donates ten percent of collected fees back to a client’s church or chosen charity.

Schmalzle says the idea came naturally from his background.

“I grew up in a missionary family,” he says. “My dad taught us to serve first. The company was built around that mindset.”

The donation structure also reflects another idea he believes is often missing from estate conversations.

“Many people want their estate to continue helping their church or community after they’re gone,” he says. “We wanted the administration process itself to reflect those values too.”

That approach helped the company gain traction through church networks.

Why churches became part of the vision

One of Schmalzle’s biggest insights was realizing that churches were already supporting families emotionally during loss but often had no structured probate support system.

Funeral services, meals, counseling, and prayer support were common.

Executor guidance was not.

“Churches were sending grieving families off-campus to lawyers and banks because there wasn’t another option,” he says. “I saw an opportunity to build something that could bridge that gap.”

Spirit of Service now works with churches through referral partnerships and estate support relationships.

The goal is not to replace attorneys or financial advisors. Instead, the organization serves as a neutral fiduciary resource for families needing help with probate or trust administration.

Schmalzle believes the idea works because it solves a practical problem.

“People need operational help after a death,” he says. “Somebody still has to organize the estate, communicate with beneficiaries, manage filings, and move the process forward.”

Building a service business around compassion

Probate is not usually described as a compassionate industry.

Schmalzle thinks that should change.

He says the emotional side of estate administration is often underestimated.

“I remember talking to one executor who was trying to coordinate probate hearings while planning a memorial service and cleaning out a parent’s home,” he says. “The paperwork became overwhelming because the grief was already overwhelming.”

That experience shaped how Spirit of Service handles client relationships.

The company focuses heavily on communication and structure during the probate process.

Schmalzle also joined professional organizations, including the Professional Fiduciary Council of Florida and Professionals of After Loss Services (PALS), to continue developing expertise in estate administration and after-loss support.

What success looks like today

Spirit of Service has grown steadily through referrals from the church and the community.

The company reports that more than $2 million has been directed to charitable causes connected to client estates.

For Jacob Schmalzle, the numbers matter less than the broader mission behind them.

“Success is helping families preserve more of the estate for their children while still supporting causes they care about,” he says.

He still sees the company as an extension of the same instinct that led him to help someone at church years ago.

“I never expected this to become a business,” he says. “It started with saying yes when somebody needed help.”

That simple idea eventually became the foundation for a company trying to rethink how probate support works.

Not through flashy disruption.

Through service, structure, and follow-through when families need it most.