Sue Frisbie Schmidt

Sue Frisbie Schmidt, loving wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, has joined her beloved husband Theodore Otto Schmidt in heaven. Born on November 2, 1935, Sue passed away on February 5, 2026, in the presence of loving family members. A memorial service will be held Friday, March 6, at Holy Cross Lutheran Church at 10:00 am.

Sue and Ted were married in 1956, after serving as best man and maid of honor at their best friends’ wedding. Their 66 years together were filled with family, faith, laughter, home, and service to others.

Sue was the daughter of Alfred Ernest Frisbie and Minnie Lee Drake Frisbie. She was born on Long Island, NY, but when Sue was an infant, the family moved to Arlington, Virginia, which is where she and her brother Norman Rickard Frisbie were raised. Sue was very close to her father Al, who requested she bake him a cherry pie every day when she was a teenager. She was a member of Job’s daughters, a social and service branch of the Masons and attended high school in Arlington. Their home, located in what is now Crystal City, was on the azalea home and garden tour, and her father served on the mayoral board of Arlington County.

Sue attended James Madison University, majoring in music and business. She worked as a legal secretary for the National Association of Broadcasters and North American Telecom Association.

Sue and Ted made their first home in Maryland and started their family there with the birth of son Eric (Esperanza). The family later moved to Arizona and then to New Mexico. Kevin (Amy) was born in Albuquerque, and Laurie (Jay) was born in Farmington. From there the family moved to Billings, MT. In 1965 they moved to Midland, where son Karl (Doris) and daughter Linda (Adam) were born. Sue was a loving grandmother to Kelsey (Adam), Kendall (Ben), Michael (Lacey), Kaleigh (Cabot), Logan (Madison), and Zoe. She was absolutely thrilled to welcome her great-grandchildren, Collins, Stella, Charlotte, Pippa, Bodhi, Max, and Olivia. She loved her nieces and nephews, and the Texas Schmidts shared a special bond with the Pennsylvania Schmidts, corresponding and visiting when possible.

Sue was a wonderful homemaker. She was an excellent cook and baker, and the family enjoyed her homemade dinners exploring cuisines from around the world. The kids were always welcome to cook or bake, although she often found it necessary to hide the chocolate chips.

Sue and Ted both exemplified living a life in service to others, and even with young children, she would deliver weekly Meals on Wheels and help out at church and school. She was a Sunday School teacher and a member of the Lutheran Womens Missionary League, and Geophysical Association Wives. Sue and Ted volunteered at Casa de Amigo, and as a lifelong member of the Girls Scouts, she was the world’s best Brownie troop leader, making homemade gingerbread cottages for girls to decorate and planning fun badge projects and activities.

Anyone who knew Sue knew that she loved to sew and knit. She made beautiful prom and homecoming gowns, Easter outfits, matching bedroom sets for the girls, and she always found time to make Halloween costumes and doll clothes. She knitted many gifts over the years, sharing baby blankets and afghans with friends and family. She spent time making wedding, shower, and birthday cakes. She was a talented pianist and organist, and she could even play the accordion.

Sue and Ted enjoyed visiting their children and grandchildren, from Australia to California, Colorado to North Carolina. After Ted retired, they enjoyed traveling in their RV, exploring the west coast and spending numerous winter months in Tucson. They made many friends there, where Ted enjoyed the Gem and Mineral Show and hiking, and Sue learned to whittle and participated in a bible study group.

Growing up with Sue as a mother meant love, laughter, nursery rhymes, songs about Jesus, and the freedom to be a kid. We rode bikes, blew bubbles, caught turtles, and played in the sprinkler. Our friends were always welcome, and the home grew with the children, from playhouses to treehouses to a swimming pool and lake cabin. The family owned dogs, hamsters, a newt, and had a short stint with a rabbit. She attended band concerts and ballet recitals, swim team competitions and every school performance. Sue always encouraged her family to grow and have adventures, and we could count on her to have hot chocolate when we would come in cold from skiing or sledding. She was always there for us.

The family is grateful for ninety years with Sue, celebrating her birthday with a “nightgown party” at Heritage Place in Burleson, where she called home since 2022. Her party theme started as a joke, then turned into a surprise and perfectly suited Sue’s mischievous sense of humor.

We are given peace knowing that Sue and Ted are together again. They are forever entwined in our memories, and knowing they are in God’s embrace and that of their families brings us comfort. She will be dearly missed, and she will always be in our stories, our hearts, and the lives of our families.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you consider making a donation to Holy Cross Lutheran Church or a charity of your choice.

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