12/30/2025
We are mourning the loss of program alum Lindsey Schmidt. Lindsey began working in the athletics department at SIUE in 2008 as an academic advisor, graduating with her Master’s in Kinesiology - Sport and Exercise Behavior (now Exercise and Sport Psychology) in 2009.
When I started at SIUE, the chair of the department took me to meet a few of the people he said “really ran” the athletics department. It was here that I had the privilege of meeting Lindsey for the first time and saw how she radiated kindness. Lindsey loved the SIUE student athletes. She saw each of them as a unique person, truly valuing her role in supporting them through university and on their paths towards a post university life. I know how much students valued her support and what she did for them, not just because they told me (which they did, often), but because I often would get email messages intended for her from students in a panic. They knew Lindsey would be able to help them navigate whatever they were going through. Lindsey and I often joked about this, leading me to refer to myself as “the other Lindsey” when I met new people in athletics. She was the benchmark and I feel very lucky to have been the other one.
Co-running Leadership Academy with Lindsey provided the opportunity to witness firsthand the organization and care she brought to her work. Each month while preparing a topic she would bring out her binder of activities we had done in past years and give detailed thoughts about where she thought we had best helped the students, and where we could do more this time. She was a person who valued growth in herself and encouraged it kindly and supportively in others. She was always thinking of how she could serve students, her coworkers, the department, and the community at large. We spent a lot of time talking about student athletes and how we could support them, challenge them, and push them where needed. We loved talking about psychology and the world around us with her view on the world often leading me to be more compassionate and open in mine. Mostly we spent time talking about our lives and our families. She was incredibly thoughtful in how she supported her kids and her pride for them in all facets of life was evident in every conversation. She loved fiercely and beautifully.
She was light. Every memorial I have read or conversation I have had about Lindsey since she passed away has used this word. It personifies who she was, she exuded light from within. To have been in that light, even the smallest amount, was a gift.
Lindsay Ross- Stewart ( "The Other Lindsay”)
If you want to support Lindsey’s Husband Justin and her two children, you can go to the link here https://www.mealtrain.com/trains/r0m5w7
Read more about Lindsey's impact here https://siuecougars.com/news/2025/12/29/general-siue-athletics-mourns-the-loss-of-beloved-academic-advisor-lindsey-schmidt.aspx
SIUE Athletics mourns the loss of beloved staff member Lindsey Schmidt, who passed away on Tuesday, December 23. Lindsey has served as an Academic Advisor at SIUE since 2008.
