Dorothy Marie Bludau Schmidt

Dorothy Marie Bludau Schmidt, 92, died on Sunday, Jan. 17, 2021. She was born in Hallettsville in 1928.

Dorothy was a devout Catholic and member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in High Hill for 72 years. She worked hard to provide her six children a Catholic education at St. Rose Elementary and Bishop Forest High School. She was a member of the St. Anne’s Society and never tired of volunteering at the local nursing home, the church gift shop, and the annual church picnic which she helped organize, supported and worked at for decades!

She married her husband of 60-plus years, Leo J. Schmidt, on Sept. 28, 1948, and resided on the Schmidt Family Farm outside Schulenburg for all but the last year of her married and widowed life. In addition to being the backbone of and foundation for her family at the homestead, Dorothy also worked for Stanzel Airplane Factory in Schulenburg for 33 years. She loved spending time with her big family and dear friends. They knew her best for her annual attendance with her husband at the Catholic Life Insurance conventions, monthly dinner and dance parties, weekly tarock games, her homemade bread and apple strudel, quilt-making for the church picnic, and when she got the chance, hitting the slot machines on a quick trip with her daughters and daughters-in-law. Dorothy never met a stranger, and made conversation with everyone!

Dorothy was preceded in death by her parents Henry and Annie Bludau, her husband Leo J. Schmidt, sister Ruth Meyer and brothers Henry Bludau and Jacob Bludau.

She is survived by her six children and their spouses: Patricia and Ron Petersen, Bob and Marcy Schmidt, Donald and Jill Schmidt, Isabel and Larry Litzmann, James and Sheila Schmidt, and David and Donna Schmidt; her 17 grandchildren and their spouses: Jeffery and Mittsi Petersen, Jennifer Petersen, Scotty and Emily Schmidt, Sally and Grant Rowland, Brian Schmidt, Molly and Billy Ross, Amy and Mauni Yazdani, Sarah and Zip Drain, Emily and Adam Rosen, Kari Litzmann, Kristin and Michael Johnson, Blake Markham, Fiona and Phillip Hanewinkel, Sofia Schmidt, Grant and Staci Schmidt, Leah and Craig Wendel, Lexi and Colin Vanatta; and her 20 great-grandchildren to whom she’s lovingly known as “Dottie.”

A rosary will be held at 6 p.m. on Friday Jan. 29 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in High HIll with visitation from 4 to 6 p.m. – friends and family are welcome. Masks and social distancing are required. A private funeral and burial service will be held the next day for immediate family only.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St Mary’s Catholic Church-High Hill, 2833 FM 2672, Schulenburg, Texas 78956. Schwenke-Baumgarten Funeral Home in Schulenburg is coordinating services (https://www.schwenkebaumgarten.com/obituary/dorothy-schmidt).