The Silverton City Council voted unanimously Oct. 6 to name the Silverton skatepark in honor of community leader and former councilor Judy Schmidt, who died Oct. 1 from Creuztfelt-Jacob Disease.
The Judy Schmidt Memorial Skatepark, 115 Westfield St., near the Silverton Senior Center, honors her active role in campaigning for the skatepark, as well as her dedication to community service.
The council also agreed to place a plaque naming all the volunteers who worked the more than 10 years it took to make the skatepark a reality.
More than 600 people gathered Oct. 5 at The Oregon Garden pavilion for Schmidt’s celebration of life service.
Schmidt, 64, was remembered for her smile and warm hugs, her ability to get things done, her love for her husband Bill, children and grandchildren and her boundless community spirit.
Fall Line Sports owner Jason Franz began raising money for the skatepark in August 2003. On Oct. 26, 2013, he and Schmidt held oversized scissors to officially cut the red ribbon opening the park.
“Judy has always been there encouraging me to work for the park, through thick and thin times, and always volunteered to help out even though she was helping out with so many other groups. She is an asset to the Silverton community more than most people will ever know,” Franz said in an Oct. 1 story in Our Town.
