Audrey June Schmit

With profound sadness, we announce that Audrey June Schmit (nee Cherny), previously of Port Washington, entered into the kingdom of God on Aug. 31, 2022, at the age of 92.

Born in Manitowoc, Wis., on June 6, 1930, Audrey was the daughter of Bonslav and Evelyn Cherny.

She moved with her family to Port Washington in 1946, graduating from Port Washington High School on June 3, 1948. In the fall of that year, she enrolled in St. Mary’s Hospital of Nursing in Madison, Wis.

After graduating and receiving her registered nurse license in June 1951, she returned to Port Washington to become an operating room scrub nurse at the old St. Alphonsus Hospital.

On May 10, 1952, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Port Washington, she married the love of her life, Donald Schmit, also of Port Washington. They were married for 68 years until his death in 2020.

She was afflicted with rheumatoid arthritis, and when that became too much to continue surgical nursing, she became the longtime office nurse for Dr. Charles Kauth, finally retiring from nursing in 1970.

During their time as members of St. Peter of Alcantara Catholic Church in Port Washington, Audrey was an active participant in numerous activities that touched her children’s lives, including being a teacher’s assistant, teaching Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD) classes, a Cub Scout pack leader and a Brownie and Girl Scout troop leader.

In between managing her own family, she always found the time to be the Schmit family seamstress for her many nieces and nephews.

After Don retired, they moved to Arizona, filling their days by following Major League Baseball spring training, collecting photographs of the grandkids and taking annual trips around the country to visit all their kids and grandkids in their faithful Chevy RV. Her grandchildren always looked forward to her visits so they could see the latest dolls she had made.

Whenever she met someone, she would proudly tell them she was a mother of six, grandmother of 10 and great-grandmother of five.

She was preceded in death by her father Bonslav, mother Evelyn and husband Donald.

She is survived by her sister Connie (Wayne) Fischer of Elcho, Wis., and brothers Dennis of Port Washington and David of Mauston, Wis. She is also survived by her children Gregory (Cathie) of Bellevue, Neb., Mark (Marion) of Richmond, Va., Jeffery of Lakeville, Minn., Larry of Washington, D.C., Donna (Scott) of Williamsburg, Va., and Karl (Kathy) of West Chester, Penn.

She is further survived by her grandchildren Christine, Karin, Hailee, Jeremy, Jayme, Ariana, Nahla, Reilly, Kate and Michael and great-grandchildren Elizabeth, Harrison, William, Skylar and Cecelia, as well as her many nieces and nephews.

Audrey lived a full life and will be greatly missed by all who knew her.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at noon Saturday, June 10, 2023, at St. John XXIII Catholic Parish, St. Peter of Alcantara Church, 1800 N. Wisconsin St., Port Washington, WI 53074. Father Patrick Wendt will preside. The family will receive visitors at the church from 11 a.m. until the service.

Audrey will be laid to rest at St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery, Port Washington.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Arthritis Foundation (www.arthritis.org) in Audrey’s name.

Online condolences may be left at www.eernissefuneralhome.com.