In loving memory of Yanina Schmidt (1926-2026)

With deep sadness, we announce the passing of our beloved mother, Yanina Schmidt.  She is survived by her four children: son Charlie, his partner Phyllis, and his former wife Carmen, son Don and his wife Patty, daughter Nina and her husband John, and daughter Caroline and her husband David; seven grandchildren, John, Michael, Matthew, Luke, Morgan, Claire and Evan; and two great-grandchildren, Mark and Nate, all of whom were a great source of pride and joy in her life.  Yanina was predeceased by her husband of 65 years, Donald Schmidt, who passed away in 2015.

Born on June 2,1926 in West Springfield Massachusetts, Yanina grew up working on the family farm as the youngest of six children.  Intellectually curious and determined, Yanina worked her way through Mary Washington College in Virginia.  The daughter of immigrant parents, she graduated from college, earning a BS degree with a major in Biology and minor in Chemistry, an uncommon achievement for a woman at the time. After moving to New York City, she worked as a lab technician at New York Hospital, before marrying and devoting herself to raising her family to whom she became affectionately known as Mama Nina and Grammy Nina.

Rooted in her Catholic faith, Yanina dedicated herself to serving God and others in her churches, family and communities.  A member of St. Gregory the Great in Bellerose, NY, Our Lady of Victory in Floral Park, NY, and Holy Family Catholic Church of St. Peterburg, FL, Yanina served and led women’s groups, served as a Eucharistic Minister both in church and in homes of the sick and homebound, and made well over 10,000 rosary beads with a group of five women for distribution worldwide to draw hearts to Christ.  Yanina set aside personal career ambition to serve her family, sowing the seeds of faith through prayer, church involvement, parochial education and healthy living. Throughout Yanina’s long life, she also served her communities, including as a 4-H member in her youth, Girl Scout Leader, Cub Scout Den Mother, Girl Scouts of America administrator, and St. Petersburg Historical Museum docent. 

Besides her heart for service, Yanina’s faith was marked by grace and mercy.  In her humility, she appreciated that “nobody’s perfect”, a saying which she once needle pointed on a popular 1970’s canvas.  She refrained from judgement, rarely raised her voice, and endured suffering with dignity and strength through Christ, whom she loved as Savior and Lord.

Yanina enjoyed not only a long life, but also a rich and abundant one. Her creativity and industriousness flowed into arts and crafts from singing, dancing, and painting to sewing, needle work, furniture-refinishing and quilting.  Athletic and fit, Yanina loved sports both as a spectator and as a tennis player, skier, and golfer. A dedicated student of golf, Yanina competed in numerous tournaments at the Garden City Country Club (GCCC) on Long Island, the Women’s Metropolitan Golf Association, and the Vinoy Golf Club in St. Peterburg, FL. A women’s club champion at GCCC, Yanina claimed a remarkable distinction in golf of making six holes in one over her roughly 40 years of play.  Curious and adventurous, Yanina also traveled widely, from Africa (with her daughters fifty years ago) to Australia and New Zealand, embracing opportunities to experience the world.

Mama Nina was an energetic dynamo whom we will miss dearly. We are heartbroken by her loss and grateful for the legacy she leaves behind, especially her faith, her service, her perseverance, her adventurousness, and her love. Though our hearts grieve, we rejoice in Jesus’s promise “I am the resurrection and the life.  Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never die.” (John 11:25-26)

A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at Holy Family Catholic Church in St. Petersburg on February 7, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. A reception will follow at the Mainlands Unit 6 Clubhouse.