Rosemary Schmidt

MADISON - Rosemary Schmidt, age 90, passed away on Wednesday, November 29, 2017 at Oakwood Village University Woods after a courageous battle with cancer. Rosemary was born in Madison on November 6, 1927 to Walter Pigorsch and Verna (Rucks) Pigorsch. She graduated from Madison Central High School in the spring of 1946. A lifelong member of Luther Memorial Church, she met her husband John R. Schmidt while singing in the church choir and was married on October 7, 1951. Rosemary devoted much of her time to raising and caring for her 3 children - Janet, Deborah, and Allen (Cheryl). She was gifted artistically and expressed her multiple talents through baking, cake decorating, gardening, and quilt making. Rosemary shared her talent by teaching quilting at Madison Area Technical College through the evening adult education courses. As a long-time member of the Madison Quilt Guild, she helped to coordinate the annual "Quilts in Bloom" fall quilt show held at Olbrich Botanical Gardens in Madison from 1993 to 2012. An accomplished quilter, she was especially proud to have been selected to participate in the International Quilt Challenge - a grouping of quilts made by artists from the sister cities of Madison, Freiburg Germany, and Bern Switzerland, and displayed in all three cities in the year 1990. Rosemary was a passionate gardener who loved being outside and working in her yard. She volunteered for over 30 years at Oakwood Village as a gardener and was a long-time contributor to the Oakwood grounds committee. Rosemary was preceded in death by her beloved husband of 54 years John. She is survived by her 3 children and her brother Robert (Linda) Pigorsch. A visitation will be held at 1:00 PM on Friday, December 8 at the Cress Funeral Home 3610 Speedway Road in Madison, followed by a memorial service at 2:00 PM. Memorial gifts may be made to the Oakwood Foundation, Olbrich Botanical Society Inc., or The Nature Conservancy. The family would like to express our sincere thanks to Rosemary's Faircrest Neighborhood neighbors for their friendship and caring. A special thank you to the Agrace Hospice Purple Team for your unwavering dedication and compassion.

Cress Funeral & Cremation Service
3610 Speedway Road, Madison
608-238-3434