Mary "Molly" Lee Schardt

Mary Lee (Molly) Schardt passed away September 1, 2024. She was born April 11, 1930, in Pittsburgh PA to William and Mary Oehlschlager. She was a member of St John’s Episcopal Church of Fort Smith.

Molly grew up during the time of the Great Depression and WWII. She graduated as a salutatorian from Penn Hills High School. She attended Pennsylvania College for Women, now called Chatham University, where she introduced a housemate Alice to her older brother William. William and Alice are still together today. After graduation, Molly married her high school sweetheart, George Schardt, and they had three sons Robert, Jeffrey, and John. After the boys were school age, she started a long career as a pharmacy assistant in Pittsburgh which continued after moving to Florida in 1976. She was also a scheduler at an eye clinic and an oncology clinic.

Molly joined St Hillary’s Episcopal Church in Fort Myers, FL that her parents had helped to start. Like her parents, she held several board positions at the church and sang in the choir. While a member of the choir, Molly wrote, produced, and directed a time-marches-on themed musical that was performed multiple evenings.

In the summer of 2004 hurricane Charlie hit the Fort Myers area. Molly rode out 12 hours of 100 mph + winds and torrential rains in her 2nd floor apartment. There were three more near misses that summer which convinced her to move, and she came to Fort Smith, AR. She joined the St John’s Episcopal Church and sang in their choir. Molly also began writing poems based on her life experiences.

Molly is survived by her bother William A. Oehlschlager, Jr. and wife Alice, sons Robert and wife Cornelia, Jeffrey and wife Reva, and John and wife Judy, seven grandchildren Bryan (Bailey), Carolyn (Justin Amato), Elizabeth, Melissa, Michael, Rebecca (Christopher Mizzi), and Patrick, and two great children Livy Mizzi and Luca Mizzi. She is also survived by nieces Linda and Carol and nephews Bill III, Steve, Scott, and Dale. She was preceded in death by her parents and nephew Robert.

Cremation will be under the direction of Edwards Funeral Home. Service for friends and family will be at St John’s Episcopal Church in Fort Smith, AR on Saturday 28, 2024 at 10:00 AM.

It was Molly’s wish that any memorial tributes be made in the form of charitable donations to St. John’s Episcopal Church.