Carol Ann Schmidhauser

Carol Ann Schmidhauser, 83, passed away peacefully on February 18th, 2024 at Hope Hospice in Providence, Rhode Island. Carol is survived by her beloved husband, Adrian "Dutch" Schmidhauser; her two children, Eric Schmidhauser of Providence, RI and Diane Schmidhauser-Cox of Albuquerque, New Mexico; daughter-in-law, Lucie Schmidhauser; three grandchildren of whom she was a devoted and loving grandmother, Grace and Max Schmidhauser, and Sean Cox; two nephews, Todd and Neil Copeland; and last but not least, her cherished cat, Missy.

Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma on August 5th, 1940, Carol was the daughter of the late William Glen Copeland, an oilman, and his wife Pauline. She grew up throughout the USA, and after spending her high school years in Darien, Connecticut, Carol was motivated to channel her caring nature into a career in nursing, graduating from Skidmore College in 1962 with a B.S in Nursing and thereafter beginning a passionate period as a registered nurse (RN) at what's presently the New York-Presbyterian Hospital, which was the highlight of her career. That same year, she met Adrian and they were married in Darien, Connecticut on May 11th, 1963. After living in Detroit, Michigan, where she gave birth to her son, Eric, they then moved to Liberia (West Africa) where their daughter, Diane, was born a couple years later.

With a fearless, adventurous spirit, Carol undertook an exploratory lifestyle with her family when they embarked on an exciting 20+ year-long journey living in several countries throughout Africa, South Asia, Europe and the Middle East due to Adrian's international work in the petroleum and banking industries. Carol was a selfless mother, supporting her two children throughout the years in their individual academic, leadership & elite athletic endeavors through college and beyond.  In 1985, after their children moved back to the United States to attend university, the two put down roots in Waco, Texas, where her father had retired and her brother Chad Copeland worked as a dentist. Even after establishing a strong homebase in Waco, she maintained throughout her life a boundless curiosity that was stimulated through her and Adrian's continued world travels well into their post-retirement years.  The couple's 35 years in Waco was an immensely joyful period in Carol's life, and the two built a wonderful community of friends with whom she formed treasured lifelong bonds. Carol was always concerned about Civil Rights and was conscientiously politically involved, serving as a longterm officer in her local League of Women Voters chapters.  She and Adrian were deeply involved members in the congregation of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Waco, a place where she found a sense of home and warmth among open-hearted spirits like herself. A lifelong lover of nature and advocate of animals, Carol funneled her giving spirit into her role as a docent and avid supporter of Waco's Cameron Park Zoo. Generous philanthropists, Carol and Adrian underwrote the costs of the Zoo's current construction of brand new facilities for its veterinary clinic, which will open later in 2024. 

In July 2021, Carol and Adrian moved from Waco to Providence to be near their son and his family, where she passed away in the company of her loved ones.    

Please consider making donations in Carol's honor to the Cameron Park Zoo.

https://www.cameronparkzoo.com/donate/

Please note that beside an upcoming intimate local Memorial Gathering Tea in Providence, there will be a more formal Memorial Service [TBD to coincide with Cameron Park Zoo's Veterinary Clinic's Grand Opening] at a later date this year in Waco, Texas.

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