Jennie Schmidt, 96, of Nevada, Missouri, and formerly of Kankakee, passed away February 21, 2023, from pulmonary edema. Born July 17, 1926, in Kankakee to Italian immigrants Pietro and Gerstina Serve, she experienced a huge slice of American history being a child during the Great Depression and a teenager through WWII. She married Anselm ‘Sam’ Schmidt on July 10, 1948. He passed away February 8, 1979.
Jennie, a lifelong member of St. Martin of Tours Parish in Kankakee, worked at Bear Brand Hosiery, Dandelles Bowling Alley as a cook, Mortell Co., and finished her career at Simonize/Texize/Dow Corp. in Kankakee, retiring in 1988. She was known for cooking spaghetti on Sundays for her extended family, a tradition she carried on for many years. She loved her lifelong hobby of crocheting, and there are hundreds of beautiful afghans across the country she crafted.
Surviving are daughter, Christine Emery of Nevada, Missouri; sons, Anthony (April) Schmidt of Midlothian, and Raymond (Jorie) Schmidt of Manteno; daughter-in-law Kristina Evans Schmidt of Mesquite, Nevada; 17 grandchildren; 25 great-grandchildren; and three great-great-grandchildren. Besides her husband, she was preceded in death by her parents; son, John Schmidt; brother, Steve Serve; sisters, Anna Goodrich, Pauline Jepsen, Frances Mercer, Mary Baker, Rose Lagesse, and Angeline Potrzebski; brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, John, Vince, and James Schmidt, Bertha Hebert and Sr. Adrienne Schmidt, and all of their spouses. She truly was the last one standing in her generation.
Visitation will be Monday, March 13, from 4-7 p.m., at Clancy-Gernon Funeral Home, Bourbonnais. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Tuesday, March 14, at 10 a.m., at St. George Church in Bourbonnais.
Memorials may be made to Good Shepherd Hospice, 24 Delaware Street, Butler, Missouri 64730 or the wishes of the family. Please sign her guestbook at www.clancygernon.com.