Robert William Schmitt

Austerlitz - On July 31, 2018, on a hazy summer day, our beloved Bob was brought to peace. Robert William Schmitt, at the age of 71, passed with loved ones by his side. Born March 5, 1947, Bob grew up in Sayville, NY, son of the late Frederick William Schmitt (1915-2006) and Mary Veronica (Burke) Schmitt (1917 – 1998).

During college, Bob studied anthropology and was a voracious life-long reader of all matters of philosophy, spirituality, nature, travel, history, biographies, and whatever else he could lay his mind and eyes upon. In 1966, he left college to serve in the Army and later returned to earn his Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, from SUNY Stony Brook in 1971. Professionally, Bob retired from the Columbia County Probation Department where be ably and compassionately served as a Probation Officer. Prior to that, he had been a social worker. A lover of yoga and meditation, Bob was always centered and gave everyone around him a sense of peace and calm. Bob lived humbly and gave generously to charities with missions aligning with his core values, most notably environmental conservation organizations and those focused on relief of the poor and underserved. In his lifetime, Bob planted over 1,000,000 trees.

He and his wife Alise enjoyed nature walks in the woods, snowshoeing, camping, and cross-country skiing together. If Alise expressed a dream to visit a far-off place, Bob made it happen. Together they kayaked in Crete, swam in Tahitian waters, chartered a sailboat in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, gazed upon the desert flowers in New Mexico, and dog-sledded in New Hampshire, to name but a few of their many excursions. Bob also adventured alone from time to time, exploring the splendor of Glacier National Park, telemark skiing in Alaska, climbing the Annapurnas in Nepal, and hiking up (in summer) and skiing down (in winter) just about every mountain he could find.

Bob was wise, generous, and inspiring, a beloved husband, father, Opa, brother, uncle, and friend. He will be dearly, sorely missed. Bob is survived by his wife, Alise tenVoorde; son Nicholas Aaron Schmitt of Taos, New Mexico; step-daughters Audrey Gould (Jason) of Bedford, Massachusetts, and Jill Weiner (Andrew Levine) of Cary, North Carolina; grandson Arthur Ysidro Schmitt; granddaughters Rachel Lily Gould, Molly Violet Gould, Amelia Francine Levine, and Johanna Wynne Levine; brother and best bud, James "Jimmy" Schmitt (Robin) of West Stockbridge, Massachusetts; sister Patricia "Patty" Oswald and brother-in-law Kevin Oswald of Blue Point, New York, and nieces Meghan Oswald, Christina Rank (Josh), and Annie Oswald,  as well as extended family and many dear friends. A private celebration of Bob's life will be held at a future date to celebrate Bob and the wisdom and joy he brought to our lives.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Nature Conservancy, 4245 N Fairfax Dr., Ste 100, Arlington, VA 22203 (Tax ID 53-0242652) or the Salvation Army, 440 W Nyack Rd., West Nyack, New York 10994 – 1753 (Tax ID 13-5562351) . Online condolences may be left at www.WenkFuneralHome.com .

"The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit." – Nelson Henderson