Obituary of Ella Catherine Schmitt

Ella Catherine Schmitt passed away the night of November 14, 2019, at the age of 81, in Portland, Oregon. Ella (“Cathy” to many friends and family) was born in 1938 to Carl and Susan Mulcahey in Gary, Indiana, where her grandfather served as the city’s first mayor. She graduated from Lew Wallace High School in Gary in 1956, after which she enrolled at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. It was at DePauw that she met Richard K. (R.K.) Schmitt II, of Columbus, Indiana, whom she married on August 22, 1959. Ella and R.K. had five daughters, and the busy family moved many times throughout the northeast and midwest before settling in Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1976. Ella remained in Kalamazoo until R.K. passed, after which she moved to Carmel, Indiana, to live with her daughter Margaret, later moving to Gresham, Oregon to be near her daughter Janet and Janet’s family. Ella devoted her life to raising her five daughters and caring for those around her; she also dedicated many years to volunteer work such as fostering children and working to support her local Girl Scouts’ council. Ella was an avid reader who also loved to socialize, and she welcomed all – there was coffee and conversation ready when the milk was delivered in the morning, summer afternoons spent watching her children and their friends enjoy the pool, evenings that passed enjoyably on the front porch chatting with neighbors, and nights of family games and bridge with friends. Always on display were Ella’s warm sense of humor and infectious laugh. Ella was preceded in death by her parents and her three brothers, Charles, Thomas, and David, as well as her husband, R.K. She is survived by her daughters Margaret Schmitt of Bloomington, Minnesota, Rebecca Schmitt (Robert Higuchi) of Solana Beach, California, Anne Schmitt-Shoemaker (Dave Wortheim) of Millington, Tennessee, Janet (Nathan) Berry of Gresham, Oregon, and Laurel Schmitt (Thomas Bosch) of Atlanta, Georgia, as well as her grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and cousins. At Ella’s request, no service will be held. Memorial contributions may be made to the Special Olympics or Salvation Army.