Brenda Mae Schmidt

Our beloved wife and mother, Brenda Mae Schmidt, 59, of Missoula, passed away unexpectedly at home on June 1, 2018 of natural causes. She was born on March 19, 1959, to John and Marlene Massop in Storm Lake, Iowa.



Brenda was fun-loving, non-judgmental, and caring. She always put others before herself and lived to nurture and support her family. Brenda was born to be a mother as shown by her relationship with her daughters and her utmost joy for her grandchildren. She was taken away too soon.



Growing up on a corn, soybean and pig farm, Brenda spent her teen years “walking beans,” playing the baritone in the high school marching band, and cruising around in her 1962 Chevy Nova named “Norma.” She went to college at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Rapids where she met her lifelong companion and best friend, Mark. They married on January 3, 1981 and welcomed two daughters, Kellie and Kristin, in the years to come.



In 1986, Mark received a job offer to transfer to Missoula, so they packed their bags and headed out West with the prospect of adventure in their eyes. Mark and Brenda quickly fell in love with the beauty and people of Montana and bought a house in Lolo to raise their family. They spent their time camping, cross country skiing, traveling and fishing as a family and were active members of Spirit of Christ Church in Lolo.



Professionally, Brenda devoted her career to providing both direct and indirect care to persons with disabilities. She lived by the mantra “See the person before the disability,” which reflected in her work at Opportunity Resources, Inc., Missoula Developmental Service Corporation, Western Montana Mental Health, and finally, the State of Montana DPHHS Community Services Bureau.



Brenda is survived by her husband, Mark; daughters Kellie (Chris) Morrison and Kristin (Sam) Scotchmer; grandchildren Ethan, Clara and Jason; parents John and Marlene Massop; siblings Doug (Kate) Massop, Rachael (Wayne) Kies, and Karen (John) Keenan; and numerous nieces and nephews.



Her funeral will be held at Christ the King Parish at 2pm on Saturday, June 9th with a light reception to follow at the church. Rosary and vigil services will be held Friday, June 8th at Garden City Funeral Home at 6:30pm. In lieu of flowers, the family asks you to please donate to Brenda’s Nonprofit Memorial Fund through the Missoula Community Foundation at http://missoulacommunityfoundation.org/brenda-schmidt. Condolences may be left at www.gardencityfh.com