Esther Schmidt

KANKAKEE -- Esther Irene Schmidt, 88, formerly of Springfield, died Monday, April 24, 2006, at 12:07 a.m. at Riverside Medical Center.

Her funeral will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Fricke-Calvert-Schrader Funeral Home in Mount Pulaski, with the Rev. Kevin Treptow officiating. Visitation will be from 9 to 11 a.m. at the funeral home.

Burial will be in Mount Pulaski Cemetery.

Mrs. Schmidt had been an Extension adviser for the University of Illinois Cooperative Extension Service of Sangamon County.  She was born April 19, 1918, in Ames, Iowa, to Ryman and Meriam Baur Smith. She married Wilbur Schmidt in Winterset, Iowa, on Sept. 7, 1946. He died Oct. 19, 1980.

She is survived by two daughters, Vicki (and John) Dekker of Kankakee and Sue (and Randy) Krnac of Plainfield; one son, Carl (and Theresa) Schmidt of Carbondale; one sister, Frances Ohrvall of Independence, Mo.; seven grandchildren, Staci Krnac of Plainfield, Julie (and Aaron) Jones of Carleton, Mich., Chad (and Heather) Krnac of Plainfield, A.J. Dekker of Champaign, Lea Dekker of Kankakee, Ry Schmidt of Carbondale and Carson Schmidt of Carbondale; and four great-grandchildren.

She was also preceded in death by one sister, Phyllis Veline, and one grandson, Patrick Dekker.

She was a member of Woodside Methodist Church of Springfield.  She was a volunteer at Sangamon State University and at the state Capitol building in Springfield.

Memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society or American Lung Association.

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