1939-2026
Carol Marie Schmidthorst, 86, of Lima, passed away peacefully at 4:55 a.m. on May 11, 2026, at Mercy Health-St. Rita’s Medical Center, surrounded by the love of her family.
Carol was born May 31, 1939, in Columbus Grove, Ohio, to the late James Daniel and Eva L. (Rau) Risser. On August 31, 1985, she married Allen W. Schmidthorst, who survives.
Carol was a 1957 graduate of Columbus Grove High School and was formerly employed with the Lima Telephone Company and Paul Harris. She had attended the Lima Baptist Temple in the 1970’s. She was known for her generous spirit and philanthropic involvement throughout the Lima/Allen County area, the Cincinnati area, and Bowling Green State University.
Carol found her greatest joy in her family. She was a devoted mother who played an important and supportive role in the lives of her daughters, Lycea and Patricia. She also shared a special bond with her beloved mini goldendoodle, Bella’e Marie (“BellaBoo”), who was her constant companion.
Carol’s love for everyone and everyday moments-especially those spent with Allen- were evident in her kind heart and warm personality. Together, she and Allen enjoyed traveling the country, attending BGSU events, art exhibits, concerts, plays, and spending time gardening. Carol had a passion for decorative design, floral arranging, and collecting and preparing recipes. She enjoyed visits to the farmers' market, especially for rhubarb, tomatoes, radishes, and watermelon, and she especially loved roses. She loved going out to eat, and her favorite meal was spaghetti with meat sauce.
Carol’s love of art and design was inspired by Claude Monet. She enjoyed painting classes at Pinot’s Palette in Lexington, Kentucky, where she loved visiting with customers and even helping set up rooms before classes. She was also known for her sense of humor, especially when teasing her son-in-law about bringing her Pepsi. Carol enjoyed shopping trips with Lycea, both out of town and locally, as well as designer purse bingo, FOE events and lunches, and outings with Bella’e to the dog park and doggy daycare. On Sunday evenings, she enjoyed listening to the WGTE PBS program Hearts of Space. Allen and Carol shared 40 wonderful years of marriage, and together they especially enjoyed watching Jeff Davis and Elvis Presley impersonators perform. Lycea lovingly nicknamed her mother “Mamma Mia.”
Carol cherished the words of 1 Corinthians 13:4-8:
“Love is patient, love is kind… Love never fails.”
In addition to her beloved husband of 40 years, Allen W. Schmidthorst, Carol is survived by her daughters, Lycea Marie (Keith W.) Price of Lima and Patricia A. Fenley of Lexington, Kentucky; brothers-in-law, Raymond Bernacchi of Lima, Gary Schmidthorst of Sebastian, Florida, and L.D. (Frankie) Fenley of Hot Springs, Arkansas; sister-in-law, Nancy Spencer of Hot Springs, Arkansas; her beloved mini goldendoodle, Bella’e Marie “BellaBoo”; and a large extended family of cherished nieces, nephews, and cousins.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her first husband, MSgt. Frank E. Fenley; her brothers, Howard, Richard, Robert, Marvin, and infant brother Donald Risser; her sisters, Louise Stultz, Lenore Faze, Edith Hennessy, Mary Radabaugh, and Berdene Bernacchi; and her sister-in-law, Susan Schmidthorst.
Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, May 15, 2026, at Chiles-Laman Funeral & Cremation Services-Shawnee Chapel, with Pastor Lori Wright officiating. Burial will follow in Memorial Park Cemetery.
Visitation will be held Thursday, May 14, 2026, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Chiles-Laman Funeral & Cremation Services-Shawnee Chapel.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Bowling Green State University Schmidthorst College of Business or the charity of the donor’s choice.
Condolences may be expressed to the family at www.chiles-lamanfh.com.
