Sister Anita Marie Schmit
1912-2007
The last paragraph of Sister Anita Marie Schmit's autobiography, written in 2001, reads:
I thank God for all the Adrian Dominican sisters, living and dead, who have shared faith and life with me. I am grateful for the opportunities I have had for spiritual growth and for personal and educational advantages. In good times and difficult times, God's faithfulness has followed me throughout my life. My prayerful thanks to my loving family for their support throughout the years! Whatever lies ahead for me is in God's loving providence.
Eileen Elizabeth Schmit, the future Sister Anita Marie, was one of seven children (four girls and three boys) born to Francis (Frank) Xavier and Anna Mary (Kleman) Schmit. She came into the family on April 23, 1912, when they were living in Bryant, Indiana.
In her autobiography, she told us a bit about her grandparents. Her paternal grandfather, Peter Schmit, was a native of Luxembourg. As a young man he immigrated to New Riegel, Ohio, where he married. There his family came into being. After many years he bought a farm near Bryant, Indiana.
Both of Eileen's parents were born in Ohio, her father in New Riegel and her mother in Glandorf. The two met in Glandorf, and were married there. After their marriage, they moved to Indiana, where Frank Schmit managed a farm for the Precious Blood Sisters and lived in a small house on the property. In her autobiography Sister Anita Marie does not say where this farm was located, but it was probably near Bryant since she was born there during this time. After the death of Eileen's grandfather when she was three years old, the Schmits moved to the farm that he had bought.
The Schmits were active members of Holy Trinity Parish. Even though there was a one-room public school nearby, they sent their children to the parish school, a little more than two miles away, where the Precious Blood Sisters taught. They instilled in their children love and respect for older people and for priests and nuns. Sister Anita Marie wrote that during May and October the family prayed the Rosary every evening after supper. "Whoever fell asleep led the rosary the next evening." Her twin brothers led the Rosary frequently.
They enjoyed many good times, but also experienced illnesses, accidents, and difficulties. Anna Mary Schmit became an invalid and died in 1927, when Eileen was fourteen years of age. During and after her illness, Eileen's older sister Mary took over the household duties and was "worth her weight in gold." Frank Schmit was injured in a serious accident, but recovered. At the age of eleven, Eileen was a victim of rheumatic fever, which affected much of her later life.
These were the years of the Great Depression. As was true throughout the country, the Schmits experienced financial difficulties. Eileen felt it incumbent on her to help. Therefore, after a year in high school, she went out to work—first, at Kneipp Sanitorium in Rome City, Indiana, and later in two Portland family homes.
In the meantime, her younger sister Ernestine was voicing a desire to enter the Precious Blood Sisters from Dayton, Ohio. Eileen was also feeling a bit unhappy. "My social life of dating and partying didn't seem to satisfy me. I felt unfulfilled and restless." She also began to think about becoming a religious, but not in the Precious Blood Congregation. She had heard about the Dominican Sisters in Adrian, Michigan, from the parents of Sister Alfrieda Welling. Sister Alfrieda was a member of that Congregation. She wore a white habit and was able to visit her parents every three years. Eileen began to discuss the Adrian Dominicans with Ernestine, and in 1935 Ernestine entered the postulate at Adrian and was later known as Sister Ann Carolyn.
On February 8, 1936, Eileen arrived in Adrian. She was almost twenty-four years of age and found adjustment rather difficult at first, since the life was different from what she had experienced up to that time, or had anticipated. "Some of the practices were difficult to understand, and just made no sense to me." She persevered, however. On August 23 of that year she received the habit and her religious name, and a year later, on August 23, 1937, she, with her group, professed her first vows.
She spent the first fifteen years of her ministry teaching primary and middle grade students in Detroit. Five years were at St. Lawrence where she had a class of seventy-one fourth graders, a strain on her already weak physical condition. Her superior gave her as much help as possible and recommended that she have a hot drink before going to bed, in order to relax. The next ten years were at Our Lady of Sorrows. This was at the time that Sisters Rose Norine Gauthier and Leonita Noetzel were introducing the new phonics method of teaching reading to first graders. Sister Anita Marie wrote:
Since I taught first grade, it meant weekly meetings, making charts, phonics booklets, plans, testing, classroom visitors, and demonstrations during the school year and summer months. This program continued until the method was firmly established. Tests showed tremendous success… For several summers I presented the Detroit reading method to schools in Canada (Windsor) and Pennsylvania (Titusville and Danville).
As a result of summer study, she received a Bachelor's Degree from Siena Heights College (now University) in 1948 with a major in history and minors in German and English. She began work on a Master's degree, but was unable to finish it because of health problems. Rest was necessary for her during many summers.
The assignment Sister Anita Marie received in 1952 caused her some trepidation. She was named superior and principal at Our Lady of Victory in Northville, as well as teacher of junior high classes. With the help of two fine teachers, her term was a success. These years also held a time of sadness during the Christmas season of 1953. Her father died on December 4. When her administrative term was over, she returned to Detroit and taught junior high students at St. Brigid for four years. Then health problems attacked her, and for the next three years she taught on a half-day schedule: at St. Norbert in Inkster for a year on the junior high level, and at St. Suzanne in Detroit for two years with fifth graders.
In 1965 she was sent to California for two years, where she taught at St. Paschal Baylon School in Oakland, a year in junior high and a year in the middle grades. Returning to Michigan, she taught fifth grade for a year at St. Joseph in Port Huron, then again became a first grade teacher for two years at St. Jude in Detroit.
St. Mary in Van Wert, Ohio, was her assignment for the next five years. She wrote, "My class load was around eighteen second graders. A teacher's dream!" In early 1971 Sister Ann Carolyn, who had been ministering at Maria Health Care Center in Adrian, retired and went to live at St. Mary Convent in Van Wert. She was experiencing some health problems. Sister Anita Marie was delighted to have her sister with her.
In 1975, the two sisters left the Midwest for California, where Sister Anita Marie taught second grade for eight years at St. Mary in Walnut Creek, then spent five years at St. John of the Cross in Lemon Grove, a year with kindergarten children and four years as a volunteer tutor. She retired in 1988, and she and Sister Ann Carolyn moved into Dominican Oaks in Santa Cruz. There Sister Anita Marie volunteered time at Santa Cruz Dominican Hospital. In 1995, however, she realized that, because of memory problems, Sister Ann Carolyn needed the care that was available in Adrian and both sisters returned there.
At first they lived in Regina Residence, but after a year it was necessary for Sister Ann Carolyn to move into the Dominican Life Center/Maria. There she was well cared for until her death in 1999. Sister Anita Marie wrote, "I had the privilege of praying with her, singing our favorite songs, and helping her at mealtimes. I cherish those memories!" She joined her sister in eternity eight years later, on November 18, 2007.
A wake-remembrance service was held for Sister Anita Marie on November 20 in St. Catherine Chapel. Sister Joan Sustersic, Prioress of Holy Rosary Mission Chapter, opened the service and extended condolences to the family. Present were Sister Anita Marie's nieces Jean and June Schmit, her nephews Robert and Ken Schmit, and her many Dominican friends. Sister Joan summarized Sister Anita Marie's life and ministry, and spoke of her last years.
Last year, when she experienced difficulty breathing, I accompanied her to the doctor. The diagnosis: the damage that she suffered from rheumatic fever was catching up with her, and she was "in the final stages." She read this as a death sentence of sorts, but she herself called each family member she wanted to know—and they came to see her. She loved the visits with them.
Sister Joan went on to speak of Sister Anita Marie's independence and desire to help herself—and also her desire to help others. She was of great assistance to Sister Leonita in visiting Sister Loretta Ann Walsh who was very ill. Sister Loretta Ann's death occurred on November 17, the day before Sister Anita Marie died.
In the early hours of Sunday morning, November 18, 2007, [Sister Anita Marie] experienced some pain and called for the nurse. She asked to be helped to the bathroom, and on the way died peacefully in the arms of the nurse—from the arms of her nurse into the arms of her loving God!
Sister Kay Muzzy went to the podium to share memories.
I've known Sister Anita Marie for about six years. We got to know each other eating together in the Maria dining room. Sister Anita Marie was a very prayerful, quiet, caring person and a good listener.
She didn't seem to find change that difficult. When the time came for her to move from Regina into Maria, she took it all in stride. She knew how to live the NOW! She knew that she had a bad heart, and that God could take her at any time. That didn't bother her, because she was ready for heaven.
She loved to travel. She was so thankful for the many opportunities she had to travel to different places in the United States. Her sister, Sister Ann Carolyn, found it difficult to travel. When the opportunity arose for Sister Anita Marie to travel to Europe, she declined because she didn't want to leave Sister Ann Carolyn.
She loved her family very much. She thoroughly enjoyed their monthly get-togethers at the Red Lobster!
Sister Marie Damian Schoenlein also reminisced.
I haven't had the opportunity to live in community with Sister Anita Marie… My first connection with the Schmit family was in the late 1930s when I was in junior high. Sister Anita Marie's brother was our neighbor and he had two sons in the primary grades. Their mother asked if I would see that they got to school safely and on time. Well, Lloyd, now Father Louis, a Precious Blood priest, had to kick every stick and stone along the mile walk. Later, when I finished school, I carpooled with their brother to work for a few years.
Of interest is that when I decided to enter religious life there was a picture in our local Fort Recovery, Ohio, paper of an Adrian Dominican who was on a home visit with her family. I decided to visit our Motherhouse, and two weeks later I was here as a postulant. That picture could easily have been Sister Anita Marie.
Sister Marie Damian also mentioned the key role that Sister Anita Marie played in demonstrating and modeling the phonetic program for Sisters Rose Norine and Leonita. "It has been very effective with the adults in our present literacy programs."
Sister Anita Marie's niece, June Schmit, remembered good times with the two sisters.
For twenty years Sisters Anita Marie and Ann Carolyn would fly from California and go home to Indiana and spend from four to six weeks during the summer with us. When their plane landed, our four kids would fight over who got to pull their suitcases. On the way home, the sisters would sing "Back Home Again in Indiana," and they would sing and harmonize other songs. Then the relatives and friends from near and far would come to spend an afternoon with them. The sisters would share our delights, our disappointments, our jokes, our laughter, and would pray for us and hold all of us in their hearts.
Sisters Anita Marie and Ann Carolyn lived next to us as neighbors. So they saw our four children grow from babies to young adults. Our kids remember Sisters Anita and Ann giving them water and ice cream when they mowed, watching them play ball and ride their bikes, playing Old Maid and rummie with them, talking with them, and praying for them.
Sister Anita Marie's funeral liturgy took place on November 21. Father Roland Calvert, OSFS, was the presider and homilist.
The time on earth that God allotted to Sister Anita Marie was ninety-five years. She spent seventy of those years in God's service. Now, no longer held back by heart problems, she is in the realm of happiness with her God, her beloved sister, and the other dear ones who preceded her. Although we will miss her, we rejoice with her.