Joan K. Schmidt

AMHERST, M.A. - Joan K. Schmidt, formerly of Raleigh, North Carolina, passed away on Tuesday in Amherst, Massachusetts. Joan grew up in the Bronx as a gifted student who also had a passion for outdoor adventures such as sailing. After graduating from Hunter College, she attended Stanford University. Joan worked for NASA in the early days of the space program before moving back to the East Coast where she met the love of her life, Bernard Schmidt. Together, they raised their children in Florida and South Carolina before settling in Raleigh. She was an avid chess competitor who became one of the top 20 US Women players in the early 1970s. Joan won the Brilliancy Prize at the 1972 US Women’s Championship while finishing 6th in the tournament. Notably, she was the first woman to win a North Carolina chess tournament. Joan worked as a lab technician at North Carolina State University while enjoying her hobbies of gardening, gymnastics, and ballroom dancing. Joan studied martial arts for many years, earning a black belt in Kempo. She took her bucket list seriously, enjoying travel after she retired, including a dog-sledding trip for her 70th birthday. She is survived by her sister, Judy; son David; daughter-in-law, Tracy; son-in-law, Barry; her nieces, Falynn, Lori, and Robin; grandchildren, Jonathan, Zachary, and Aurora. She also leaves behind many dear friends at Loomis Village in South Hadley, Massachusetts and in the Raleigh area. She is predeceased by her husband Bernard and daughter Julie. Funeral arrangements will be handled by the Bryan-Lee Funeral Home of Raleigh, and the burial will be Monday, Feb. 7th at 3 pm at the Raleigh Hebrew Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations in her name can be made to the Myotonic Dystrophy Foundation (www.myotonic.org). Online condolences may be made at www.bryan-leefuneralhome.com