Gerda Schmidt

Gerda M. Schmidt

Gerda  M. Schmidt, beloved wife of the late Heino Schmidt, passed away peacefully July 30, 2016 after a brief illness.

She leaves behind her son, Reinhard  Schmidt and his wife Janet along with grandchildren Hunter,Genevieve,Erik , Nicole and nephews Mart Nurmet and Rainer Kolzur.

Gerda was born in Freiburg Germany May 1927 and orphaned at age Six. She witnessed the outbreak of WW 2 as a 12 year old and survived the subsequent bombing and Russian occupation hidden in the sub cellar with her beloved friend Olga.  She eventually returned to  Freiburg working for the French occupation administration where she meet her husband an Estonian working for the  Lutheran Refugee Service helping displaced persons that migrated from the East.

They emigrated with their young family to the United States settling  in Muscatine, Iowa in 1959 where she worked as tailor in men’s clothing  and her husband was one of the first employees of Bandag ,a company based on German tire retread process.

Following her husband’s retirement she lived in Atlanta, Dallas and Short Hills, NJ staying involved with her grandchildren lives.  She loved gardening, needlepoint and reading the New York Times daily with vigorous discussions of the day’s news. Her gregarious personality made enduring friends wherever she lived.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Adolf and Babette Walter, her sisters Ella Koch and Elfriede Kotzur and children Heino Jr. and Linda Stein.

Funeral services were privately held under the direction of Galante Funeral 2800 Morris Avenue Union, N.J.

In lieu of flowers the family prefers that you make memorials to The Worldwide Orphan Foundation 515 Valley St. Maplewood, N.J. 07040 in her memory

973-763-9961