Donor Impact Story: Marion Schmitke

Occupational therapist and lifelong donor Marion Schmitke, ‘73 Dip(RM), ‘81 BSc(OT), ‘95 MScRS(OT), has dedicated her career to helping others thrive.

Marion Schmitke remembers one of her very first patients vividly, though it’s been more than 50 years since she started working as an occupational therapist.

The woman had lost her sight to multiple sclerosis. An in-patient on the neurology ward at the University of Alberta Hospital, she went home on weekends to spend time with her family, including two teenage sons.

Schmitke wanted to help the woman thrive in her role as a mother. So she contacted the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, who gave the patient a deck of Braille playing cards and taught her how to play cribbage, as a way to stay connected to her family during weekends at home.

“She had a good sense of touch so it didn’t take her long to learn, two or three weeks I’d say,” Schmitke recalls. “When she came back to the hospital after a weekend, she was happy that she could take part in that family activity.”

Schmitke, now 87, continues to change lives through occupational therapy as a long-time monthly donor to the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine.

“I never miss the money,” she says. “The convenience of monthly giving is an easy way to keep supporting the faculty that shaped my career, and the next generation of occupational therapists.”

Schmitke has made more than 200 donations over the years, helping to fund research, student spaces, instructional and lab equipment and student awards.

“Marion has touched countless lives through her faithful support to the faculty,” says Sandy Thompson-Hodgetts, professor and interim chair of occupational therapy. “Monthly and annual donors are among our most loyal supporters and they help the faculty plan for future priorities to uplift our students’ experiences.”

“Every donor and every dollar matters in making a difference in the lives of our students.”

Schmitke, a three-time graduate of U of A’s OT program, spent the bulk of her career at Alberta Hospital Edmonton (AHE), running vocational programs where patients learned to make wedding decorations, print documents and craft children’s furniture — work delivered by a small but dedicated team of occupational therapists and therapy assistants.

Much of this work was delivered with the support of therapy assistants, who played a vital role on a small but dedicated team. During the 1970s, the OT department at AHE included just a handful of occupational therapists alongside a larger group of therapy assistants, despite unfilled therapist positions.

Back then, the profession was getting more organized. Schmitke helped develop an OT assistant training program for Alberta and worked on assessment and measurement tools to understand how OT programs support a patient’s treatment and recovery. In doing so, she became a pioneer of the practical, person-centred approach that shaped her career.

“It’s getting up in the morning, combing your hair, brushing your teeth, being able to decide what kind of food will give you energy for the day, and being interested in what's going on,” she explains. “What do you need to do in order to fulfill your role in life, whether you’re a mother, a worker or a child?”

By the time Schmitke left the department, all 16 occupational therapist positions were filled — a milestone she considers one of the most meaningful moments of her career, even as leadership structures across the hospital were beginning to change.

These days Schmitke is still living her own life to the fullest — walking, volunteering at her church, and discussing feminist literature with friends in her book club, who call themselves “The Goddesses.”

She tackled her first role in life growing up on a mixed farm in central Alberta, where she and her older sister helped with the pigs, cows, potatoes and berries. After she married, she worked in a bank, but watching her husband go through university, she realized she could do it too.

When he passed away and Schmitke was left to raise her two boys, aged three and five, on her own, she headed back to school to support her family. She chose the profession that a grade 7 aptitude test had identified for her.

“I was interested in all the things involved with living — I liked to cook. I liked to sew. I liked sports. I liked being a problem solver,” she recalls. “I took the course and never looked back. Supporting occupational therapy has been a part of my life ever since. I think I was born to be an occupational therapist.”