Agnes Schmidt had diverse interests, from volunteering as a Girl Scout leader and Cub Scout den mother when her children were young to tai chi and quilting in her more adult years. Add to that a fondness for outings to the racetrack where she liked to bet on the horses. “She really did have a fun side,” said her son John. “She was strict with us, but always let us know that having fun was OK too.” Mrs. Schmidt, 73, died of lung cancer Monday, Feb. 21, in her Buffalo Grove home. She was born Agnes Loggie, the third of seven children of James and Agnes, immigrants from Scotland, in Brooklyn. After her high school graduation, she began working at General Electric, where she met and fell in love with fellow employee James Schmidt. They married in 1952. His job as an advertising creative director prompted moves from New York to Cleveland, to Montreal and to Elmhurst until they settled in Wilmette in 1961. During her years in Wilmette, she worked as a teller at the First National Bank in Winnetka. Her husband’s job called for another move in 1983 to Guttenberg, N.J., where she discovered tai chai and quilting through her condominium association. After her husband died in 2001, she returned to Illinois. She continued to quilt and practice tai chi. “She was the type of person who could be very anxious and worried about things and I think tai chi calmed her down and gave her peace of mind,” said her son. “She was really dedicated to her family and, in later years, the thing she enjoyed most was spending time with her four children and 10 grandchildren,” said her son. Other survivors include another son, James; two daughters, Valerie Connors and Alison Skertic; three sisters, Catherine Dauphin, Margaret Edwards and Joan Coughlin; a brother, John; and 10 grandchildren. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday in Kolssak Funeral Home, 189 S. Milwaukee Ave., Wheeling. Mass will be said at 10 a.m. Thursday in St. Mary Catholic Church, 75 N. Buffalo Grove Rd., Buffalo Grove.
