Rev. Nancy Jo Carrington-Schmidt

Rev. Nancy Jo Carrington-Schmidt, daughter of Margaret Louise Anderson-Carrington and Emery Eugene Carrington, was born on Jan. 22, 1939, in Jonesboro, and died at the age of 82, on Aug. 29, 2021, at St. Francis Medical Center, in Cape Girardeau.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 54 years, Paul William Schmidt of Dongola; her brother, Fred Emery Carrington; and her parents, Margaret and Eugene Carrington.  

She is survived by her son, John Paul Schmidt (Rhonda) of Jonesboro; three grandsons, Aaron (Mindy), Jared and Daniel Schmidt; three great-grandchildren, Autumn, Michael and Oliver Schmidt; and her sister, Betty Jean Hunter (Berry).    

While educated in the biological sciences at Carthage College and having worked as a medical technologist near Chicago and at Community Health in Cairo, her passion was the world of faith, arts and letters.  

She worked in oil paints, candle making, wood burning and stained glass; she published poetry, and was a voracious reader.  

Her greatest love was her journey of faith in the Lord, which saw her through great tragedies as a young adult, and sustained her through illnesses and Paul’s long goodbye in these later years.  

She was ordained as a minister on July 25, 1993, and ministered in a variety of communities, including Carbondale, Cairo and Dongola, where she was a member of St. John’s Lutheran Church.  

She was one of the founding members of the Dongola Public Library. Nancy and Paul established Share & Care in 1978 as a local ministry to provide assistance for the residents of Southern Illinois.  

Visitation will be Monday, Sept. 6, at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Dongola, 6 miles south of Jonesboro, from 9:30 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. Funeral services will start at 11:30 a.m., with Pastor Carol Johnson officiating. Interment will be in the St. John’s Cemetery near Dongola.  

All family and friends are invited to join and celebrate her life.  Due to the COVID pandemic, face masks are required. 

Memorials can be made to the Dongola Public Library. Envelopes will be available at the church and at Rendleman & Hileman Funeral Home. 

To view the obituary and to leave online condolences for the family, visit www.rendlemanhilemanfh.com. 

Rendleman & Hileman Funeral Home in Jonesboro is in charge of arrangements.