Theodora Mary Schmidt

Theodora Mary (Osada) Schmidt of Palatine, IL passed away on Saturday, January 3, 2026. She was born September 11, 1939 in Chicago, IL, daughter of Thaddeus and Antoinette (Kozniewski) Osada.

Theodora (who never liked that name and was always known as Teddie) was preceded in her death by her husband, Joseph Peter Schmidt, and a grandson, Ryan Daniel Schmidt. Teddie leaves behind four loving children and two daughters-in-law: Jennifer (Steve) Schmidt, Claudia Schmidt, Daniel (Karina) Schmidt and Peter (Jennifer) Schmidt; three siblings: Christine (Richmond) Jones, Jan Osada and Michael (Carol) Osada; nieces June and Claire, nephew Philip, grand-nephew Addison and grand-niece Helayna. Teddie had seven grandchildren that she loved more than anything in the world: Ryan, Evan, William, Emma, Charles, Morgan and Natalia. She also leaves behind her beloved dog, Bingo. Teddie is treasured by many other family and friends in the Chicago area, including her retiree group that kept her busy for years, her book club, her many neighborhood friends, and the friends and significant others of her grandchildren who she practically adopted as her own.

Teddie cherished spending time with her grandchildren above all else, attending every game, meet, concert and competition that she could. She was passionate about caring for animals, spending countless hours, into her late 70's, driving into Chicago to collect injured animals (from squirrels to owls to baby deer) and bringing them to Flint Creek Wildlife Rehabilitation for veterinary care. She was an avid Bears and Cubs fan, and her family knew not to plan events with her on Sunday afternoons in the fall. Teddie would have loved to watch the Bears in the playoffs next week.

Teddie was an amazingly sweet and gentle woman, who also never hesitated to speak her mind and be tough if the situation called for it. She was an example of love, acceptance, tolerance and patience, and she was disheartened at how little of those qualities she saw in the world today. She will be loved and missed by all who knew her.

A visitation for family and friends will be held Friday, January 9th, from 2:00-5:00 p.m. at Smith-Corcoran Funeral Home, 185 E Northwest Highway in Palatine. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Flint Creek Wildlife Rehabilitation in Barrington.