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w at er lo oc hr on ic le .c a W at er lo o C hr on ic le | T hu rs da y, Ja nu ar y 17 ,2 01 9 | 8 CAMBRIDGE 90 Main Street cornerstonefurniture.ca 519.740.9991 /CornerstoneHome /cornerstonehomeinteriors We stock more sofas than any store in Ontario. Be blown away! CORNERSTONE'S WARM UP, IT'S WINTER SALE Keep your feet cozy with our massive selection of area rugs. Snuggle into bed with our huge selection of mattresses and amazing beds all up to 30% off. Dozens of cabinets and cupboards to be seen on our showroom floor. So many comfy chairs and sofas in stock. WATERLOO REGION - Michael Schmitt, a revered and respected Catholic edu- cator in Waterloo Region, died of cancer on Thursday. Schmitt spent 37 years in Catholic education, as a teacher, principal, superin- tendent and education di- rector. Schmitt was 65. He started his teaching career in Belleville and then moved to Waterloo Region. He was the founding principal of Resurrection Catholic Secondary School in 1988. After a stint as superintendent, he worked for the education ministry and then as edu- cation director in Kings- ton, before retiring in 2011. "Michael was a tremen- dous leader for this board but an even more special human being," wrote Loret- ta Notten, education direc- tor for the Waterloo Catho- lic District School Board, in a letter to staff on Friday. Notten described Schmitt as someone who was stellar and whose repu- tation was beyond re- proach. "He was everything we would want a Catholic lead- er to be and he will be sin- cerely missed by all who knew him," she said. While Roger Lawlor was director of education for the school board, Schmitt be- came a superintendent. "He was a visionary, a champion for special needs students," Lawlor said. "He was passionate about students and their welfare and worked dili- gently to ensure the case was made to support learn- ers first," he said. School board trustee Wendy Price said she first met Schmitt when she start- ed as a teacher. She was implementing a new special education pro- gram at Monsignor Doyle school in Cambridge, the same program for gifted students that Schmitt had implemented at St Jerome's High School. "Michael worked hard for the marginalized, as well as for all students," she said. "He believed in creating safe spaces and programs to meet the needs of all learn- ers," Price said. Price was on the board when it asked Schmitt to come out of retirement to return to the board as inter- im director. "During this year, he brought a sense of calm and direction to the system," Price said. Joan Grundy, retired vice-principal at St. Mary's High School, worked with Schmitt at the board office when she was a religion consultant and he a super- intendent. Schmitt was an "authen- tic" witness to his faith who walked beside and behind people, she said. "People were his priori- ty," said Grundy who de- scribed him as soulful, gen- uine and possessing a gen- tle confidence that allowed anyone to approach him. Three weeks ago, Grun- dy sent him a message to say she was thinking of him as he battled cancer and they spoke of another mutu- al friend who was also fac- ing the disease and he said he would pray for her. "That was Michael. He was concerned for someone else who was also on the same journey," she said. After his retirement, Schmitt continued volun- teering in the community by sitting on the board of Supportive Housing of Wa- terloo and other organiza- tions, including Hospice Waterloo Region, Out of the Cold and United Way Water- loo Region. Former Waterloo Mayor Brenda Halloran sat with Schmitt on the board of Sup- portive Housing of Waterloo Region. She credited his committed work in pushing for housing for the vulnera- ble. On Saturday, the second project with SHOW official- ly opened and the board agreed to call the house Mike's Place, she said. "The community lost a really important person," she said. Schmitt is survived by his wife Deborah and daughter Kateland. Visitation will be held Wednesday at Henry Wal- ser Funeral Home in Kitch- ener from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. A funeral mass will be held at St. Louis Catholic Church Waterloo on Thurs- day at 11 a.m. MICHAEL SCHMITT, LONGTIME CATHOLIC EDUCATOR, MOURNED BY COLLEAGUES Michael Schmitt, who spent many of his 37 years in Catholic education in Waterloo Region, died of cancer on Thursday at age 65. Metroland file photo LIZ MONTEIRO lmonteiro@therecord.com LOCAL MICHAEL SCHMITT, DIED OF CANCER ON THURSDAY AT AGE 65.