Mourners packed into Trinity Lutheran Church in Crete on Wednesday for the funeral of a pregnant mother and her three young sons who died last week following a two-vehicle crash a short distance from their Beecher home.
The late-morning service for Lindsey Schmidt, 29, and her sons Owen, 6, Weston, 4, and Kaleb, 19 months, drew a capacity crowd of family, friends and community members who have rallied around the grieving family and its patriarch, Schmidt’s husband Eddie, since the fatal crash July 24.
The Rev. Frank Italiano, a Trinity pastor, led the private service, which was closed to the media but projected via loudspeaker, allowing anyone outside the church to hear.
Throughout the service, which lasted about 50 minutes, Italiano stressed Lindsey Schmidt’s strong Christian faith and her involvement with the church.
“Lindsey not only trusted Jesus, she wanted others to do the same thing,” he told mourners. “And in her death, God is granting that wish.”
Schmidt and her three boys were on their way to Vacation Bible School at Trinity on the morning of July 24 when a pickup truck blew a stop sign at the intersection of Corning Road and Yates Avenue in unincorporated Washington Township and struck their sport utility vehicle, the Will County sheriff’s office said.
Schmidt and her youngest son Kaleb were pronounced dead at the scene. Weston died at Comer Children’s Hospital the following evening, and Owen died of his injuries there two days later.
All of the vehicle’s occupants were secured by seat belts or child safety seats at the time of the crash, sheriff’s office spokeswoman Kathy Hoffmeyer said.
The driver of the pickup underwent minor reconstructive surgery for a large laceration to his arm following the crash, according to the sheriff’s office. No criminal charges have been filed in the case, officials said.
Police are investigating the crash, including a forensic examination of the pickup driver’s phone records, which is unlikely to be completed until at least next week.
A roadside memorial with a cross, flowers, stuffed animals and an inscribed memorial stone was erected at the crash site, just down the street from the Schmidts’ Kentucky Road home.
At one point during Wednesday’s service, Italiano singled out Lindsey Schmidt’s husband, who was at work when the crash occurred.
“Eddie,” he said, growing emotional, “you told me that you were blessed to have Lindsey in your life. You were blessed to have these children.
“And you know what, Eddie, you were a blessing to them too,” the pastor continued. “Because you, as their dad, every night you prayed with your kids. You and Lindsey taught your children to trust Jesus. That means everything.”
The couple wed in 2008, two years after Lindsey graduated from Illinois Lutheran High School. She had been active at Trinity, where she taught Sunday school, performed refreshment scheduling between worship services and was active in the church’s Women’s Ministry, leading Trinity’s “Time Out For Moms” group for mothers of young children.
Schmidt also served as a room mom for her son Owen’s class at Illinois Lutheran Elementary School, where he had recently graduated from kindergarten, said the school’s principal, Scott Sievert. Weston would have started preschool there this fall.
The communities of Beecher and Crete have rallied around the Schmidt family since the fatal crash, holding multiple prayer vigils and raising money for the family through funds established at Trinity and the First Community Trust Bank.
The Schmidt family has requested to be allowed to mourn privately and has declined interview requests from the Daily Southtown since the crash. A burial at Trinity Lutheran Cemetery in Crete followed Wednesday’s funeral service.
The family later welcomed mourners to Illinois Lutheran High School in Crete for a communal meal.
zkoeske@tribpub.com
Twitter @ZakKoeske
