Rev. Nancy Jo Carrington-Schmidt

1939 - 2021

Rev. Nancy Jo Carrington-Schmidt

1939 - 2021

DONGOLA - Rev. Nancy Jo Carrington-Schmidt, daughter of Margaret Louise Anderson-Carrington and Emery Eugene Carrington, born January 22, 1939 in Jonesboro, IL passed away at the age of 82, on August 29, 2021 at St. Francis Medical Center, in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.

Nancy was preceded in death by her husband of 54 years, Paul William Schmidt of Dongola, her brother Fred Emery Carrington, and her parents Margaret and Eugene Carrington. Nancy is survived by her son John Paul Schmidt (Rhonda) of Jonesboro; three grandsons: Aaron (Mindy), Jared, and Daniel Schmidt; three great-grandchildren: Autumn, Michael, and Oliver Schmidt; and her sister Betty Jean Hunter (Berry).

While educated in the Biological Sciences at Carthage College and having worked as a medical technologist near Chicago and at Community Health in Cairo, her passion was the world of faith, arts, and letters. She worked in oil paints, candle making, wood burning, and stained glass; she published poetry, and was a voracious reader. Her greatest love was her journey of faith in the Lord, which saw her through great tragedies as a young adult, and sustained her through illnesses and Paul's long goodbye in these later years.

She was ordained as a minister on July 25, 1993 and ministered in a variety of communities including Carbondale, Cairo, and Dongola where she was a member of St. John's Lutheran Church. She was one of the founding members of the Dongola Public Library, and Nancy and Paul established Share & Care in 1978 as a local ministry to provide assistance for the residents of Southern Illinois.

Visitation will be held on Monday, September 6, 2021 at St. John's Lutheran Church in Dongola, six miles south of Jonesboro, from 9:30 until 11:30 AM. Funeral services will start at 11:30 AM with Pastor Carol Johnson officiating. Interment will be in the St. John's Cemetery. All family and friends are invited to join and celebrate Nancy's life. Due to the COVID pandemic face masks are required. Memorials may be made to the Dongola Public Library. Envelopes will be available at the church and the Rendleman & Hileman Funeral Home.