Obituary

“Come on in, JB” are the encouraging words Anne repeats as she ducks down to her shoulders in the cool Adirondack water of her cherished Blue Mountain Lake. Daughter Jenny, standing at the water’s edge, replies quietly “No, no, no, no” following her usual hesitance inspired by her autism. But after fifteen minutes of repeated urging, Jen will have waded slowly into the water and then gently immersed herself with a smile and a sigh of  contentment; she’ll splash and paddle happily for another half hour at least.  

Devoted mother, wife and Nana, Anne succumbed to cancer after a hard-fought, five-year battle on May 14, 2022. She was born in Cobleskill, New York on June 29, 1943 and grew up with her three sisters in Brockport, NY. She earned her BA from Albany State University and later a Masters of Reading Education from the College of St. Rose. She moved to Vermont in 1977 along with her IBM husband Paul and two children. For the past 37 years Anne, Paul and Jen have resided in South Burlington, becoming a well-loved and appreciated trio in the Ridgewood “community”. 

Anne was a fierce and persistent advocate for people with disabilities, including Jen, and sympathetic to disadvantaged or oppressed people everywhere. She joined the UVM I-Team with her good friend Susan A, traveling all the byways of our state to support families and their kids with special education needs. Anne chaired the Howard Center’s “Bakeman Commission” in the early 80s, was a member of the VT Developmental Disability Council, and until recently, the State Program Standing Committee for Developmental Services. Since 2008, she served as Treasurer of the Autism National Committee (AutCom). She also served on the Burlington, Bethlehem, Arad Sister Cities program for the last several years. 

Anne spoke glowingly of trips with Paul and her sister Emilie to England, Wales, and her ancestors’ village of Aichtal, Germany. Anne loved being in the Adirondacks at the family camp in Blue Mountain Lake. She also enjoyed spending time with family at Lake Aziscohos in Maine every summer. For years until very recently, she enjoyed VSO concerts at the Flynn, monthly dinners with “Mideast Group” friends, and Wednesday workouts with her circle at Artemis. She treasured poetry (writing many fine poems over the years), and nature, and  especially loved the Robert Frost Wayside Trail in Ripton, which combined those two passions. In her last years, with advice from her mentor Julie Cadwallader Staub and other  good friends in her poetry group, she assembled a collection of her best poetry, titled “Gravity/Levity”, for upcoming publication by Finishing Line Press. 

Anne was predeceased by her parents, Dr. Victor E. Schmidt and Mabel Rodman Schmidt, and her youngest sister Dorothy Connelly. She is survived by her husband, Paul; daughter Jennifer; son Eric and his wife Gretchen Elias, and beloved granddaughters Phoebe and Eliza of Montpelier. She also leaves sister Emilie and husband Barney Kane of Greenville, NC; niece Betsy Kane, nephew Evan and family of Washington and Raleigh, NC, respectively; sister Carol and husband Bruce Weimer of South Burlington, niece Kim Gucciardi and nephew Kevin; brother-in-law Dan Connelly and niece and nephew Angie and Eric; sister-in law Susan B. Dougherty, niece Dawn Fitzgerald and nephew Rob Dougherty; cousins Phylis, Helen, Diane, Nels, and Terry and all their families.  

Anne and her family would like to offer our sincerest thanks to the doctors and nurses at Champlain Valley Hematology Oncology, the University of Vermont Medical Center, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Bayada Home Health and Charlotte Family Health Care. They were all extremely helpful in supporting Anne in the latter years of her life.

A Celebration of Life will be held at 2 pm on June 11th at the Essex Resort and Spa, in Essex, VT. In lieu of flowers, those wishing to make a donation in Anne’s honor might consider the Autism National Committee, the Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts or a worthy charity of their choice. To honor Anne you might want to consider a quiet walk in the woods, a symphony concert, a good poem or fifteen minutes sitting on a bench, feeling the spring air, listening to the busy birds and absorbing the nature around you.  

To offer online condolences go to Anne’s obituary at:  

https://www.gregorycremation.com/blog/2022/5/23/anne-catherine-schmidt-bakeman.

Family Information

Anne was predeceased by her parents, Dr. Victor E. Schmidt and Mabel Rodman Schmidt, and her youngest sister Dorothy Connelly. She is survived by her husband, Paul; daughter Jennifer; son Eric and his wife Gretchen Elias, and beloved granddaughters Phoebe and Eliza of Montpelier. She also leaves sister Emilie and husband Barney Kane of Greenville, NC; niece Betsy Kane, nephew Evan and family of Washington and Raleigh, NC, respectively; sister Carol and husband Bruce Weimer of South Burlington, niece Kim Gucciardi and nephew Kevin; brother-in-law Dan Connelly and niece and nephew Angie and Eric; sister-in law Susan B. Dougherty, niece Dawn Fitzgerald and nephew Rob Dougherty; cousins Phylis, Helen, Diane, Nels, and Terry and all their families.