Dana Downey Schmidt

DURHAM – Dana Downey Schmidt, age 43, died on August 8, 2020. Dana was born on February 17, 1977. Dana was the daughter of Barbara Pinkard Downey and the late Robert Matthew Downey.

Dana grew up in Camden, SC and graduated from Camden High School in 1995. Dana attended college at the University of South Carolina, where she met her future husband Casey Schmidt. They were married on April 15, 2000. Shortly after, Dana became ill due to cystic fibrosis, and received a double lung transplant in November 2000 at Duke University Hospital. She and her husband then moved to Durham to be close to Duke, where she was receiving care.

During the years that followed, Dana flourished in Durham and began her occupation as a nanny. She was also active with the Lung Transplant Foundation, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. She was very creative and enjoyed drawing, painting, and thrifting for unique objects to put on her Etsy shop.

Her remaining days were hard fought but treasured by her and her family. Her kind and generous spirit enriched the lives of everyone around her, and she will be sorely missed.

Dana is survived by husband Casey Schmidt, mother Barbara Downey, brother Matt Downey (Lauren), brother Marc Downey, nieces Anna Grace Black, Ann Douglass Downey, and Kate Baughman, and nephews Jack Baughman, Ben Baughman, and William Downey.

A celebration of life will be held at a later date in Camden, S.C.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Our Wild Neighbors https://www.ourwildneighbors.org/ or the Lung Transplant Foundation https://lungtransplantfoundation.org/.