Irene Schmidt

Schmidt, Irene JosephineMADISON - Irene Josephine (Baier) Schmidt, age 87, passed away on Sunday, Feb. 20, 2011. Irene was born May 10, 1923, in Oshkosh to Edna Louise Nass and Louis A. Baier,one of ten children,the first girl to follow four brothers. Of her seven brothers and two sisters, only Kenneth Baier, Milwaukee, and Dorothy Glaser, Appleton, survive. Irene was 20 when she married Edward Schmidt, on June 26, 1943, in Stockbridge. They lived in Stockbridge for a short time before settling in Milwaukee, which was their home until the early 1950s. The family then moved to Madison and lived there for many years. They had four girls, Carol Ann (Alvin) Smith , Sharon Lee Rook, Karen Marie (Daniel) Wright and Katherine Anna (Roger) Ellis; seven grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren. Irene had numerous careers outside the home, including becoming a CNA. She was first and foremost a chef going back to her roots when she would help her mother, who was also a cook. During WWII she worked in a factory in Milwaukee. Irene was a chef at Colonial Inn for 25 years. She made a home for her husband, children and the numerous animals dad "needed." These included salt water fish, big dogs and small dogs, big birds and small birds. She loved many, if not all of them, and her greatest comfort after dad passed away was Junior,her pug. She gifted all her girls with her love of animals. In her retirement, she volunteered for RSVP Dane County, was a playground monitor in Stockbridge, and cooked at Lakeview Motel. She enjoyed participating and socializing at Oregon Senior Center. She was a member of VFW Auxiliary in Stockbridge and Oregon. Everyone who met her fell in love with her. Irene was preceded in death by her husband, Edward; granddaughter Irene Mae Ellis Griffin; her brothers Harold, Raymond, Robert, Eugene, Howard and Earl; sister Dolores; and a son-in-law, William Johnson. A Memorial Mass will be held at HOLY MOTHER OF CONSOLATION, 651 N. Main St., Oregon, at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 26, 2011, with Father Gary Wankerl presiding. Visitation will be held at the church from 9:30 a.m. until the time of the service on Saturday. A service is also being planned at St. Mary's in Stockbridge prior to interment on Saturday, March 5, 2011, at 11 a.m. with Father Dinh-Van-Thiet presiding. In lieu of flowers the family asks that you make a donation to the American Diabetes Association and that you remember Irene and her family in your prayers. Memorials: In lieu of flowers the family asks that you make a donation to the American Diabetes Association and that you remember Irene and her family in your prayers. Visitation: Visitation will be held at the church from 9:30 a.m. until the time of the service on Saturday. Service: A Memorial Mass will be held at HOLY MOTHER OF CONSOLATION, 651 N. Main St., Oregon, at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 26, 2011, with Father Gary Wankerl presiding.