Mary Frances "Frances" Schmidt

Our Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed death and brought life and immortality to light through
the Gospel. Let us remember with thanksgiving what God has done through his servant Frances.

Mary Frances "Frances" Montfort was given life by her Creator and was born on March 23,
1935, in Wichita Falls, Texas in Wichita County, Texas. She was the 2 nd child of Matt Harris
Montfort and Vera Adeline Montfort. She was reborn as a child of God in the waters of Holy
Baptism. She was united in holy marriage to Donal Ray "Don" Schmidt on January 24, 1959, and
they were blessed with 64 years of married life together. Her beloved husband Don preceded
her in death on September 22, 2023. On December 1, 2025, at the age of 90 years, at her home
on her ranch in Comanche County, God called Frances to heaven.

Frances was an elegant, beautiful, and brilliant young woman who modeled as a teenager
before attending the University of Texas at Austin at the age of sixteen. She graduated in three
(3) years with degrees in Geology and Archeology. She earned a Master of Science in
Mathematics from Texas A&M. She spent her career teaching mathematics at high schools
where Don worked as an athletic director and head football coach. She often stated she
regretted not enrolling in law school.

Frances loved painting and fishing with her family. She was accomplished in the kitchen and
always insisted on cooking for her family and friends. After she retired for the first time in 1990,
she concentrated on playing bridge as a regional master, helping Don with their farming and
cattle business, and volunteering for multiple charitable groups. She eventually went back to
teaching because she was "bored" and it was hard to find good bridge tournaments living on a
ranch.

When she retired the second time in 2001, she and Don built a second home in Rockport,
Texas, and "moved" south for most of the year. In Rockport, she studied art, painted, fished,
and continued playing bridge at an elite level. She played mahjong for fun. She served as the
president of the Rockport Country Club and was heavily involved in the art world as a
volunteer. Frances was an incredibly talented artist and although many of her oils are
considered masterpieces, she refused to sell any of her works instead gifting them to her
children.

Of historical note, as duly recorded in the library of Congress, Frances is a direct descendant of
Thomas Montfort (Mumford) who was one of the surviving gentlemen of the first colony of
Jamestown in 1607, as well as directly related to Simon De Montfort, Earl of Leicester, who is
known as the Founder of the House Parliament in the U.K. Although she was eligible to join the
likes of the Magna Charta Dames, the National Society of Colonial Dames, The National Society
of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and the Daughters of the Confederacy, she never
did. When asked why not? In a nod to her degree in Archeology, she laughed and simply stated:

"people who worship their ancestors might as well be buried in the ground with them!" To the
people who knew and loved her, her many talents and razor-sharp wit will be sorely missed.

She is survived by Sons: Donal Ray Schmidt, Jr. of Comanche County, TX; Derek James Schmidt
and his wife Kelli of Calhoon County, TX; Denis Lee Schmidt and his wife Terri of Cleburne, TX;
Grandchildren: Grace Kathleen Mueller, and her husband Timothy Mueller; Claire Lea Schmidt;
Donal Ray Schmidt, III; James Derek Schmidt, and his wife Mackenzie; Hannah Lee Dragoo, and
her husband Austin Dragoo; William Harris Schmidt, and his wife Casey; and Great Grandsons:
Timothy Wendell Mueller, IV; Briggs James Schmidt; Remington Lee Schmidt; and Great
Granddaughters: Collins Taylor Schmidt; and Stella Grace Mueller.

Visitation on Saturday December 6, 2025, from 4:00 -6:00 p.m., at Lacy Funeral Home, 1380 N.
Harbin Dr., Stephenville, TX 76401, 254-968-2102. Please send all flowers to Lacy.

Frances' funeral will be held at Faith Lutheran Church in Stephenville, Texas on Sunday
December 7, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. She will be interned at her ranch in Comanche County, Texas.

Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. The Lord gives and the Lord takes
away; blessed be the name of the Lord. We give thanks to God our Father through Jesus Christ,
our Lord, for our sister Frances.