Read Robin Hope Schmidt's Obituary & Leave Condolences

In memory of

Robin Hope Schmidt

Madison, WI, USA

1950 - May 14, 2021

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The world just lost a gentle soul.
Robin Hope Schmidt was born on May 1, 1950 in Newport News, Virginia. She spent her
elementary school years in Detroit, Michigan. Her family moved several times and later settled
in Bloomfield, Indiana where she graduated from Bloomfield High School. As a child, she spent
many happy summers in northern Minnesota with her beloved grandmother and family at a
cabin on Clear Lake, Glen, Minnesota. She went to college in Indiana and received a B.S. from
Indiana State University in Life Sciences. She later went to a cytology school in upstate New
York. In Madison, she received a M.S. in Water Resources Management at UW-Madison.
She worked several different jobs in Madison – WPS Health Insurance Company, UW-Madison,
Land’s End, The Guild, and the Artful Home. She also did a stint as an ESL teacher in Merida,
Mexico. Her last job was in the UW Department of Afro-American Studies as the Student
Services Coordinator from September 2008 to January 2019, when she retired. She always had a
warm welcoming smile for everyone. As one close friend said “Spending time with her was like
having a butterfly land on your hand -- so gentle, yet amusing -- never making any waves.”
Robin was an adventurous traveler - Mexico (she especially loved Isla Mujeres), Canada, Europe,
South America, and all over the US. She was a lover of music, dinner or happy hour with her
friends, and dancing. She had an artistic eye for detail in her photography, jewelry, and stained
glass. “She was such a kind, fun, unique person and I so appreciated knowing she was out there
coloring the world with her creative spirit,” said a friend. Robin loved nature and animals. She
really loved her cats; especially tiny Frida; big, orange Cooper; and her current cat, sweetie
Lottie.
Robin, age 71, passed away peacefully from heart failure on the evening of Friday, May 14, 2021
at Agrace Hospice in Fitchburg, Wisconsin. She is survived by her sister, Paula Schmidt-Ginn;
niece, Marguerite Ginn; and nephew, Phillip Ginn. She will be greatly missed by many friends
from around the world

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