Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, BVM

Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, BVM of Chicago died at The Clare on Thursday, October 9, 2025 at 9:05 p.m. Sister Jean Dolores was a member of the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (BVM) in Dubuque, Iowa, and chaplain of the Loyola Chicago Men’s basketball team.

Visitation will be Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025, from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. There will be a prayer service approximately 5 p.m. or 6 p.m. Funeral services will be Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, at 10 a.m. at the Madonna della Strada Chapel. Burial in Queen of Heaven Cemetery, Section 8, Hillside, Ill.

Statement from LaDonna Manternach, BVM President:

The Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary celebrates the life of Sister Jean Dolores.

When Jean Dolores decided to become a BVM Sister, it was because she had fallen in love with God who had seized her imagination from an early age. Throughout her many years, she responded to God’s invitation by working, praying, playing, and sharing her light and love with everyone she encountered.

To us, she was a kindred spirit, our friend, our sister. Sister Jean Dolores was known as a basketball lover, wisdom-figure, and mentor at Loyola University Chicago. “Sister Jean,” as she was widely known, became an accidental celebrity and representative matriarch of the Loyola Rambler’s men’s basketball team. Her commitment to Loyola was a continuation of her work at the former Mundelein College.

Sister Jean Dolores was a woman of prayer, dedicated educator, and a bearer of hope who loved her BVM Community. She saw God present in all that surrounded her and trusted in His goodness. Her presence with us will be greatly missed.

Sister Jean Dolores was born on Aug. 21, 1919, in San Francisco, to Joseph and Bertha (Bowman) Schmidt. She entered the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Dubuque, Iowa, on Sept. 8, 1937, from St. James Parish, San Francisco. She professed first vows on March 19, 1940, and final vows on Aug. 15, 1945.

Sister ministered at Loyola University Chicago for 34 years where she was an administrator and chaplain of the men’s basketball team. She served as associate academic dean and instructor in the education department at Mundelein College in Chicago. She also was an elementary teacher at St. Vincent in Chicago and St. Charles Borromeo in North Hollywood, Calif.; and an elementary and music teacher at St. Bernard in Los Angeles, where she also served as principal. In 2023 she co-authored her memoir Wake Up with Purpose! What I’ve Learned in My First Hundred Years.

She was preceded in death by her parents and brothers Edward and Raymond Schmidt. She is survived by a sister-in-law Margaret Schmidt, San Rafael, Calif.; nieces; nephews; and the Sisters of Charity, BVM, with whom she shared life for 88 years.

Visit Loyola University Chicago to view a recording of services or to share a comment: https://www.luc.edu/aboutsisterjean/