Hundreds Mourn as Pamela Schmidt Laid to Rest

With several hundred gathered Saturday at Higgins Home for Funerals, in Watchung, the many family members, friends and co-workers of Warren resident Pamela Schmidt, 22, said their farewells.

Schmidt's , who has been . Parisio entered a , and is being held in Union County Jail with bail set at $400,000. 

The gathering Saturday included Schmidt's extended family, many she had helped to reunite, college professors and high school friends, all of whom nodded in agreement as her sister, Stephanie, cousins, and an uncle recalled her energy and wit.

The memories focused on Schmidt's ceaseless efforts at keeping in touch with her family and friends. She was known for being the center of activities for her family, and a close-knit group of four longtime friends, who enjoyed karaoke and Bon Jovi concerts.

"Pam was the best older sister anyone could ever have," Stephanie Schmidt said, describing how her older sister would always make time for her and their younger brother, Michael.

She noted how her sister would never miss an opportunity to share even a few moments with them whenever she could.

"Something my best friend's mom pointed out was that she was everyone's 'older sister,'" Stephanie Schmidt said. "She was friends with my friends, she drove us around, and took us everywhere."

Stephanie Schmidt said her sister was an avid Yankees fan, who seldom missed watching games with her father, Werner, but missed "David Wells pitching a perfect game" when distant family members came to visit. 

"Pam was the one who brought our entire family together," Stephanie Schmidt said, adding Schmidt had begun working on a family tree—something that brought her great pride.

Both Stephanie Schmidt and Pamela's uncle, Mark, noted her hard work ethic; Stephanie pointed out her sister had started working at 14, landing a job at Forest Lodge in Warren.

Pamela Schmidt, a 2007 Watchung Hills grad and Rutgers student, interned at Sirius XM radio from September 2009 to May 2010.

"I remember visiting her once at Sirius and had a chance to follow her for a day," Stephanie Schmidt said. "I was so impressed by her professionalism and how much time she put into her work."

"She was in your business, in a good way," Schmidt's uncle said. "She wanted to know—'Uncle Mark, what's new?' She wanted to be the first one to hear the news; she wanted to be the first one to share the news. It was so important to her to be in the middle of things, that's who she was."

He related Schmidt's excitement after being interviewed for a possible position with Lockheed-Martin, and how it made her feel like "such a professional."

As the family struggles with the sudden death of such a cherished member, he said they believe she has been called to "a higher purpose," for reasons that will become clear one day.

"I don't know what it is, but like [her mother], I take some comfort knowing she's out there doing some good for a higher purpose," he said.

Dr. Christopher Belden, pastor of Community Presbyterian Church in Mountainside, picked up on this point, noting in his remarks that, "while we wish desperately things had things had worked out differently, do not be afraid. As much as we may have loved Pam, God loves her more and she belongs to God, she always has, and she always will."

At the end of the memorial services, the long procession traveled to Somerset Hills Memorial Park in Basking Ridge, where Pamela Schmidt was laid to rest.