Beverly Jean Schmitt

Beverly Jean Schmitt, née Blencoe 82, passed away peacefully at her home in Dearborn Heights, Michigan, on November 27, 2025.

Beverly was a devoted wife, mother, and educator, remembered for her beauty, sharp wit, keen intellect, kindness, and sense of family.

Born in New York state December 3, 1942 to Lloyd and Louise Blencoe, hard-working dairy farmers, Beverly and her brother Roger grew up with a deep appreciation for diligence, practicality, and integrity. The values her parents instilled shaped the life she built and the love she gave.

She was educated in St. Johnsville, NY schools and what is now SUNY-Albany, receiving a Bachelor's degree in Chemistry in 1964. After three years teaching in Chatham, NY, she attended Wayne State University on a National Science Foundation fellowship, receiving a Masters of Science degree in Chemistry and acquiring a husband, Thomas, along the way.

She married Tom in 1970, and together they created a warm and joyful life. Bev considered her marriage, her children, and her long career in education to be her greatest accomplishments.

A brilliant teacher with legendary classroom control, Beverly spent 42 years teaching high school and advanced placement chemistry, including 39 years at North Farmington High School, Michigan. She genuinely enjoyed teenagers and knew how to bring out the best in students of both average and exceptional talents.

In 1990, based on recommendations of students, parents and administrators, she was honored as a Newsweek WDIV outstanding teacher - earning the title of "Teacher of the Year", a recognition that brought her immense pride and reflected the profound impact she had on generations of students.

Beverly was proud that so many of her students went on to Michigan's flagship universities, as well as prestigious institutions around the nation. Tom recalls that once, on a trip to the Boston area, she was joined for dinner by two young women who were former students, one then a political science undergrad at Harvard, the other an engineering major at MIT.

Beverly found her later years of teaching especially fulfilling as she helped a new crop of science teacher coworkers master the skills to teach complex subject matter to adolescent students.

After retiring, Beverly embraced a life filled with the things she loved most: cooking elaborate and delicious meals, tending her bountiful garden, walking with friends, and traveling with Tom. She especially cherished trips to visit her children and adventures that included hiking in national and state parks. She was a busy correspondent, sending homemade birthday and holiday cards filled with stickers to a large generation of nieces and nephews.

Beverly was proud that her own children became strong and independent, pursuing studies at selective universities of their choice and going on to rewarding careers in company with loving spouses.

Beverly is survived by her husband of 55 years, Thomas M. Schmitt, PhD; her daughter, Susan Horgan, and husband, Brendan; her son, Peter Schmitt, and wife, Abby; and her brother, Roger Blencoe, as well as a large number of cousins and in-laws. She is mourned by a circle of lifelong friends who enriched her life as she enriched theirs.

A celebration of her life is planned for a later date.