Mary Elizabeth Park Schmidt, 81, passed away peacefully at her Smyrna, TN, home July 24, 2025, with the love of her life by her side.
Mary’s friends and family remember her as lighthearted, spunky, and tireless. She enjoyed cooking, dancing, sewing, and making a big deal out of family birthdays.
She was born and raised in the Canal Zone, the U.S.-controlled community around the Panama Canal. “Paradise” is what she called this lush landscape where she lived with her mother, Marie; step-father, Bill; and four younger siblings. It inspired her lifelong love for color, tropical plants and Latin music.
When she was 16, her family relocated to St. Petersburg, FL. At Dixie Hollins High School she met Tom Schmidt, and less than a year after graduation — during which she worked as a telephone operator — Tom took leave from the U.S. Coast Guard so they could marry. Mary’s independent and adventurous spirit made her a good match as a military wife. As they moved around, she supported her husband, raised their two daughters and explored her surroundings.
Once both daughters in school, she worked as an instructional aide, where she treated students with compassion and respect. While living in Jupiter, FL, she worked for Lincoln Life Insurance Co., Marquette Medical Systems, and General Electric.
Mary had a creative streak and was a lifelong seamstress. After moving to Tennessee, she took up quilting. She sewed happy quilts with bold colors, flowers, and whimsical animals, and gave many to family and charities. She also made Quilts of Valor for family members who served in the military and for veterans’ homes.
With traveling as a hobby, she and Tom enjoyed exploring the United States by car, riding excursion trains, and cruising to tropical destinations or to Alaska.
She showered her four grandsons with love and silly jokes and maintained bonds with her siblings. Mary taught her daughters to be independent and to follow their individual paths, and she always knew when they needed support. Her most trying time was caring for her younger daughter during a cancer battle.
Mary is survived by her devoted husband of 61 years, Tom Schmidt; eldest daughter, Debbie Bennick; grandsons, Cameron Carver, Brice Bennick, Colin Carver, and Joel Bennick; sister, Jeri Brawn and her husband Brian; brothers, Allan Park and his wife Peg, Louis Park, and Michael Park and his wife Donna; in-laws, Claire Griswold, Pam Bleakney, Nancy Malloy and her husband Rich, Kathy Hall and her husband Delbert, and Steve Schmidt and his wife Karen; and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her youngest daughter, Lori Carver.
For those who wish, the family suggests donations be made to ALS.org in memory of Mary.
Visitation with the family will be Saturday, August 30, 2025 from 9:00am until 11:00am at Woodfin Chapel, Smyrna. A memorial service will be held Saturday, August 30, 2025 at 11:00am at Woodfin Chapel, Smyrna.
