Christine J. Schmidt

 On the morning of December 30th, Christine (Tina) Schmidt of Coatesville died at the age of 63.

Tina was born to Julia and Philip Thorogood Jr. in 1959 and raised in Lower Merion as the youngest sibling to her surviving older sisters, Elsie (Craig) Hall and Phylis (Jack) Wright. As the smallest friend of the Ardmore crew, she earned the nickname, “Tink,” short for Tinkerbell. But what she lacked in height, she made up for in personality and eventually earned other titles, such as Wife, Mom, Nana and most notably, Parrot Head.

In September 2000, she married her surviving husband, Thomas (Tom) Schmidt Jr. and raised their three surviving children, Lindsey (Patrick), Vincent (Felyshia) and Torieann, in Phoenixville. Tina is also survived by the couple’s five grandchildren, Kyle, Tom Tom, Aribella, Elliott, Jaxson, and several cousins, nieces, nephews and in-laws.

Tina was a lover of the arts and an avid crafter in her spare time. When she wasn’t splitting her time between work and grandchildren, she could be found at home cooking her family’s favorite foods or using her innate creativity to plan a theme party. Always unabashed, she was known for captivating an audience with her hilarious stories or showing off her love for music by singing louder than her competition, be it the radio or the next unsuspecting karaoke victim.

A celebration of her life will be held at a later date.

Please consider making a donation to an organization that helps those near and dear to Tina’s heart, The Arc of Chester County.

Let us continue her legacy in honor of the life she lived and the ones she loved. When you sing a song, sing loud enough for Tina to hear. Especially if it’s Jimmy Buffett.

“There’s a little bit of fruitcake left in every one of us.”