Irmgard Schmidt de Fernandez

Irmgard Schmidt de Fernandez, born June 25, 1930, passed away peacefully surrounded by her family on January 7, 2022 in her home in Lexington, South Carolina. “Gardy”, as her friends and family liked to call her, was predeceased by her loving and devoted husband, Manolo Fernandez Arenas. Gardy was the daughter of the late Elise Hartmann von Hoh from Helmsgruen, Germany and Heinrich Sebastian Schmidt from Munich, Germany. She is survived by her loving daughters, Dr. Diana Fernandez-Schmidt from Houston, Texas and Claudia F. Karp (Andrew) from Lexington, South Carolina and her grandsons, A.J. and Alex.

Gardy studied Philosophy and Ethics at the Humboldt University in Berlin in the late 1940’s and,

already fluent in German, Latin and Russian, she studied French, Italian and Spanish in the 1950’s across Europe. It was in Madrid, Spain where she met the love of her life, Manolo, a young and dashing cardiologist. Two years later Manolo asked Gardy to marry him and she moved across the Atlantic Ocean to Bogota, Colombia. It took almost six years for Gardy to persuade her very open-minded mother to join the family in Colombia.

She devoted her life to raising her daughters, and always fostered an environment of stability and support. Gardy taught her daughters to speak up for what they believed in and to never make a decision out of fear. She gave them wings to pursue their dreams and to live life to the fullest. Gardy was also deeply passionate about the welfare of children, animals and the elderly, and spent her time fundraising and volunteering for these causes. In her later years, she became a talented artist in her own right, with a special focus on crafting wood inlays for unique pieces of furniture and wall art. She also enjoyed painting fine china. Gardy loved the outdoors, and often spent her free time traveling and exploring nature with her family. Her presence in this life will be deeply missed by everyone that knew and loved her.

The family will receive friends from 3:30 - 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 16, 2022 at Caughman-Harman Funeral Home, Lexington Chapel. A private graveside service will be held on Tuesday, January 18, 2022 at 1:30 p.m. The service will be livestreamed through our Facebook page, Lexington: Facebook.com/LexingtonChapel.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to PETSinc, 100 Orchard Drive, West Columbia, SC or Carolina Wildlife Center, 5551 Bush River Road, Columbia, SC or Nancy K. Perry Children’s Shelter, Lexington, SC.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.caughmanlexington.com for the de Fernandez family.