Phyllis Mary Schmitt

Born January 20, 1940. Died September 25, 2010. Phyllis Mary Schmitt, respected teacher and committed naturalist, died Saturday, September 25, 2010, in Santa Rosa, CA, of cancer. Her death followed an "active fulfilling week through Friday evening during which she attended a Madrone Audubon meeting, took a field trip to Healdsburg to see the swifts, and attended to other volunteer commitments," said Jeanne Wirka, staff biologist at the Bouverie Preserve. After 30 years of teaching mostly third and fourth grades at Harmony Union School in Occidental, a chief joy in retirement was leading groups of children along paths and in tidal pools, teaching them about the nature she loved. Schmitt was President of the Bouverie Preserve Docent Council, a docent herself, and a trainer of docents. At Bodega Marine Laboratory, Schmitt led almost 170 tours, and taught over 3,000 school children about marine life between March of 2003 to the present, according to Kitty Brown, Lab Manager. For the Madrone Audubon Society, she coordinated the Audubon Adventures program and the Lincoln School Heron Day, helped with heron and egret research in Penngrove, and organized the Mayacamas Audubon Sanctuary Spring Hike Series. An active member and past president of the Sonoma County Historical Society, she helped her students interview Occidental area residents and compile an invaluable oral history of the community. After retiring she still volunteered giving classroom talks and accompanying classes on interesting walks. All her adult life as a teacher, Schmitt continued learning. From a geology course at Santa Rosa Junior College, she expanded her studies in the natural sciences through workshops and summer travel, enthusiastically sharing what she learned with her students. One year when accepted to work in an oceanographic project, she found she had to be able to swim. Undaunted, Schmitt headed for nearby SRJC to take swimming lessons. Another summer she helped excavate the home of the poet Horace, outside Rome. An avid traveler, she often took part in nature and historical projects all over the world. Schmitt was listed in Who's Who Among America's Teachers in 1994, and gained the Alice Brown National History Week Award of the Sonoma County Historical Society in 1991, the Bentley-Smith award of the Madrone Audubon Society in 2002 for a lifetime committed to protection and enhancement of the environment, in 2006 the Sonoma County Conservation Council's Ernestine Smith Lifetime Environmental Commitment Award for volunteer work with Bouverie Preserve, Bodega Marine Lab, LandPaths, and Madrone Audubon, and a City of Santa Rosa Merit Award in 2010. Born in Muenster TX, on January 20, 1940, she came early to study nature and enjoy school activities. She completed a Bachelor's degree and teacher training at University of Texas, Austin and a short time later found a permanent "home" at Harmony Union School in Occidental. Daughter of Edward Schmitt and Margaret Hess Schmitt, Phyllis is survived by her mother and siblings: Edward and spouse, Kay, Vancouver BC; Barbara, Seattle WA; Daniel and spouse, Donna, Prosser WA; and Mark and spouse, Diane of Yakima, WA; nieces and nephews Karl Schmitt, Corey Schmitt, Ursula Schmitt Carus, Amber Schmitt Gibbons and Katrina Schmitt Higgason, and great nieces Ashley, Taylor, Addi and Hayley, and great nephew Austin. Celebrations of Phyllis' life will take place at St. Leo's Catholic Church, Sonoma, CA, October 30th at 12:00 noon and Holy Family Catholic Church in Yakima, WA, November 6th at 2:00 p.m. A private celebration will be held at the Bouverie Preserve of Audubon Canyon Ranch in Glen Ellen. Donations in her honor are welcomed at The David Bouverie Scholarship Endowment Fund (Audubon Canyon Ranch, 4900 Shoreline Highway One, Stinson Beach, CA 94970). Please make checks payable to Audubon Canyon Ranch. DANIELS CHAPEL OF THE ROSES FUNERAL AND CREMATION SERVICES 707-525-3730