Obituary of Shirley Mae Schmidt

Shirley Mae Schmidt Shirley Mae Schmidt was known by many as simply “Sheryl”. She was born on October 21, 1940 in Strawberry Point, Iowa to Melvin and Gwendolyn Smith. She passed away peacefully on April 1, 2013, after a short battle with glioblastoma - an aggressive form of brain cancer. Despite her illness, Sheryl maintained her friendly spirit, wit and sense of humor with those around her until the end. Sheryl graduated from South Salem High School in 1958. She met and married the love of her life, David Schmidt in 1969. Together they raised four children and employment opportunities over the years led them to reside in various states including Oregon, Colorado and Washington. After raising four children, Sheryl enjoyed a lengthy career at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, WA. Her passion in life, however, was dolls. She was an avid lover, fancier and consultant on dolls of all types. She was a regular contributor on the doll chat page on Ebay and enjoyed meeting and discussing various doll topics with other doll lovers from across the nation. Her friendly advice was welcome by all. She met many great friends in this forum and loved to share her years of experience and knowledge of dolls with others. She will be missed by her close family of doll friends, both near and far who enjoyed her input and passion for dolls, which she shared freely. Sheryl was predeceased by her husband, David, and parents. She is survived by her children Robin Porter (Mark), Brian (Paula), Kurt (Sherry) and Erich, 9 grandchildren, three sisters, Lois Beck, Carol MacKenzie, Sharon Fazzio, and numerous extended family and friends. The family would like to extend a personal thank you to the numerous friends and family members who sent Sheryl many touching cards, letters, posters, flowers, and other food items to help her during this tough journey. She was very thankful. We'd like to also thank the friendly staff at Manor Care who took care of Sheryl in her final weeks especially Esther who provided Sheryl with first class care and compassion. Funeral Service to be held on Friday, April 19, 2013, 11:00 a.m. at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church, 7112 S 12th St, Tacoma, WA. Reception to follow. If you would like the family suggests donations be made in Shirley Schmidt's name to The Musella Foundation, 1100 Peninsula Blvd, Hewlett, NY 11557, a center for brain tumor research.