Sonia Schmidt

Sonia Schmidt passed away peacefully at the Arthur Child Cancer Centre on Friday, July 18, 2025, a week shy of her 64 birthday, and five years after her initial diagnosis of cancer. She was born in Toronto, Ontario, to Helmut & Helen Rode, the first born of two girls who were bright lights in their parent’s world. They were treated like little princesses and raised in the fear and love of God with a wide circle of supporting aunts, uncles and cousins. She was named for the Sun (die Sonne), with a complimentary sister Monica for the Moon (der Mond).

Being the daughter of German Baptist immigrants gave her grounding in Christian teachings, leading to her accepting Jesus as her savior at a young age at Bible camp. Sonia was a wonderful big sister to Monica who had a stutter. She helped in her healing by finishing her sentences, gifted with the ability to read her mind. When in school, she would run to help open the heavy Kindergarten door for little sister after recess even if it meant being late for class. Most of her childhood was idyllic with summer time spent frolicking on beaches, picnics at Yanzen’s farm, and camping in the VW camper van. But the first experience of suffering was when her dad had a serious heart attack. Prayers to God were out of simple necessity. “God, please let Dad live until we’re grown”. When he died suddenly on a family vacation on the Oregon coast in 1992, she was 30 years old – God had answered those prayers.

Perhaps her greatest act of faith was pursuing a God given dream of adopting children. After they had been married for 16 years, they secretly applied at an adoption agency by putting together a resume of their lifestyle in a paper binder that prospective birth moms could browse. On July 5, 2001, they drove to Medicine Hat and met a lovely couple who placed into their arms baby Joshua. They surprised everyone by announcing “we have a baby boy”!

Sonia also had a lifelong dream of adopting a girl from China, something she was contemplating years before she married David! Child number one brought so much JOY that it took many years for them to circle back to the Chinese girl idea. Girls for adoption were becoming very rare in China and so they waited and waited. Sonia gathered lots of little girls’ clothing in her closet. In 2017 they were offered a toddler from an orphanage, but one month before their trip, the birth mom returned to reunite with the girl. Many may remember how devastated they both were, so prayers to God were simply, “Your will be done”. In short order, another girl with cleft palate was left on a senior’s doorstep in the middle of China with a note, “I hope some kind people will love my baby”. And love her they did! On November 22, 2017, Hayley Anica Xi was triumphantly paraded down the YYC concourse by Sonia and David to an adoring crowd and the rest is history. She is a DREAM come true!

Sonia’s life has been full of blessings and a blessing she has been. Her time at Telus as an administrative assistant helped her realize that serving her own family is what she really wanted to do. After Joshua went to school, Sonia’s new life as a Kindergarten assistant rekindled the idea of another child. Thanks to the daily miracles served up by the gifted doctors and nurses at the Arthur Child Cancer Centre, five quality years were granted by a merciful God so she could flourish as a mother, bless her husband with domestic bliss, and live to see her son Joshua get engaged to a fine young woman Ainsleigh. Speaking a blessing over them and making a cake for their engagement party was her final creation in the kitchen.

She will be lovingly remembered by David, her husband of 41 years, their two beautiful children, Joshua and Hayley, her sister Monica Stiles and her brother-in-law Andrew Stiles.

A Memorial Service for Sonia’s entire circle of fans (of which there are many) will be held at Centre Street Church Bearspaw Campus (33 Damkar Court Calgary, AB) on Friday Sept 19 at 1:00pm.

Sonia was laid to rest during a private family interment at Cochrane Cemetery.

Memorial donations in Sonia’s name will be gratefully accepted by her husband David, who will set aside all proceeds for a post-secondary education fund for their 8-year-old daughter Hayley.