'Guardian angel': Livingston County paramedic passed away suddenly, here's how to support her family

HOWELL - Friends and coworkers say the death of EMT and nurse Cassandra Schmidt left them devastated because it was Schmidt who often was the guardian angel for others.

Schmidt, 42, of Howell, died unexpectedly Sept. 5 in Ann Arbor. She is survived by her husband of nine years, Christopher Schmidt, sons Jackson Schmidt and Tristen Ducan, and daughter Ciel Cadle, as well as other family members.

Schmidt was a paramedic in Livingston County for 10 years before going back to school to obtain a nursing degree. She worked at Memorial Healthcare in Owosso and then St. Joseph Mercy Livingston Hospital as an ER nurse.

However, to many of her Livingston County coworkers, she was simply a good friend, according to Janna Wallace, who worked with Schmidt at St. Joseph Mercy Livingston Hospital.

"I'm devastated. We are all devastated," Wallace said.

Wallace described Schmidt as authentic, brave, kind and insightful. She said Schmidt always invited people to her house for bonfires and had a welcoming presence.

She said hospital staff everywhere knew Schmidt because she was a hard worker.

"We think of her as a guardian angel now because that's really what she was to us in the department because of the strength that she brought," she said.

Samantha Lee met Schmidt in 2010 when she started working in Green Oak Township. They went to nursing school together.

"We were friends first and then coworkers, even though we met at work," she said.

Lee said they enjoyed working together and would often sign up to have all of their shifts at the same time. She said they talked often and spent time together after work, too, and called Schmidt compassionate and thorough.

Greg Thomas, who knew Schmidt for almost 20 years, worked with her in Livingston County before he retired in 2018.

"She's just like a little sister to me," he said. She often planned events to get people together. Just two weeks before she died, she invited him to come watch a movie in someone's garage.

"I'm super glad I went to that," he said.

Kelly Ramelis, who met Schmidt about seven years ago, said a lot of people referred to her as "Mama Cass" because of the way she took care of everyone.

"She's one of those people who just kind of takes you under her wing," she said.

Ramelis said because Schmidt took care of all of her fellow paramedics, they wanted to return the favor and make sure her family is taken care of, so they put together a fundraiser.

The dinner will take place 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 2 at the American Legion Post 141 in Howell, 3265 W. Grand River Ave. The event will include a spaghetti dinner - $10 for adults, $5 for kids - a 50/50 raffle and a variety of other raffle prizes.

Sophia Lada is a reporter for the Livingston Daily. Contact her at slada@gannett.com or 517-377-1065. Follow her on Twitter @sophia_lada.

This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Livingston County paramedic and nurse passed away suddenly Sept. 5