Valerie Schmidt

Valerie Louise (Creaves) Schmidt was born in 1935 to Albert Augustus Creaves and Katherine (Kitty) Louise Kelly in Wauconda, IL. Her father was a first-generation English immigrant and her mother's family immigrated from Ireland in the 1800's.

Val's early years on their farm, The Finchley Manor, instilled in her a love for animals and nature, especially dogs, that followed her entire life. Her aunt Luella (Lal) Adelman and Cousin James (Jimmy) Adelman [Marilyn] were very important to Val particularly after the premature death of her mother when she was only 10. These were formative relationships for Val along with her siblings Joyce and Donald (Donny).

Valerie passed on September 10, 2025, after living in memory care at Yorkshire of Edina, MN where the staff provided quality care in her last three years.

Valerie attended a one-room schoolhouse and graduated from Wauconda High School in 1953. She married Robert O'Malley in 1955, living in the Chicago area. They had two children: Steven and Karen, before their divorce in 1965. Valerie married Bruce Schmidt in 1967, and they moved to the Des Moines, IA area and had a daughter, Deidre. The family relocated to the Eau Claire, WI area for Bruce's employment and later created a farm raising goats and rabbits. Bruce passed in 1976, and Val returned to school and earned a BA in Anthropology from UW-Eau Claire. Val then moved to the Twin Cities where she worked in fabric wholesale sales.

In 1988, she decided to follow her deep interest in spirituality and moved to Oakland, CA and earned an MA in Spiritual Psychology from the College of Holy Names. Val returned to the Twin Cities and worked serving vulnerable adults with developmental disabilities and cerebral palsy. She lived independently into her late 80's and benefited from the enduring friendships she made at Riverview Senior Apartments.

She continually reinvented herself with many diverse vocations. Even in her seventies she would say that she wasn't sure what she wanted to do professionally. All the while she had a voracious appetite for learning and a passion for reading as evidenced by her large, eclectic personal library.

Val had five grandchildren: Jamin [Damara], Riahl [Indira], Moriah [Dan], John and Ali. She had eight great- grandchildren: Avery, Zeniko, Peyton, LeiLanii, Cynthia, Lysander, Adrian and Amelia. Other family surviving her include two step childen, Steven and Lisa, nieces Kathryn and Lauren and nephews Marvin, Gordon and Andrew, her sons-in-law David and Dean, her daughters-in-law Kathy and Paula, cousin Sharon and many second and third cousins, great nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents Albert and Katherine, her husbands Robert and Bruce, her sister Joyce, her aunts: Luella, Elinor, Eva and Nesta, uncles: Edward and Ignatious, cousins: Jimmy, Bryan [Brigette], Bunty and Tommy, brothers-in-law: Robert and Roger [Sheila], mothers-in-law: Ivy and Bernice, fathers-in-law: Marvin and Thomas.

In action and belief, Val demonstrated strong values honoring civil rights, women's rights, and the rights of LGBTQ people, people of color and all nationalities. She showed genuine compassion for all people. Her approach to life was unique in appreciating the connection between all human beings, empathically seeking to understand the greater connection among all of us.

To honor her wishes, the family will have a private celebration of life on October 4, 2025 in the Twin Cities area.

In remembrance of Valerie, please do not send flowers or gifts, but feel free to make a donation in her honor to the St. Paul Humane Society, or Common Bond Communities of St. Paul MN both beneficiaries have a website with a donation tab.