Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, the renowned team chaplain for the Loyola University Chicago basketball team, The Ramblers, has passed away at the age of 106.
Sister Jean was born in 1919 in San Francisco, California. She has said that the first time she considered becoming a nun was in third grade. After graduating from high school, she decided to join the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary convent. In 1949, she completed her Bachelor of Arts degree at Mount St. Mary’s College and her Master of Arts degree at Loyola University in 1961.
It was in 1991 that she first began working at Loyola after a merger brought her to the campus. After three years working there, she became the team chaplain for the Rambler’s basketball team. She was a popular member of the team before she became famous outside of the college. She had her own bobblehead by 2011, and she was celebrated on December 1st, 2012, with “Sister Jean day”.
She gained public notoriety during the Rambler’s 2018 March Madness run as the underdogs of the tournament. Many across the nation were fast fans of the sister chaplain, with her being cheered whenever she appeared at a game. She became so popular that her bobbleheads were selling for upwards of $300 online.
Sister Jean would even receive a proclamation from President Joe Biden, recognizing her long life of service to helping others.
Sadly, on October 9th, 2025, Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt passed away after a long life of 106 years. She had a memoir written of her life before her death called “Wake Up With Purpose!: What I’ve Learned in My First Hundred Years”. In the book, she records her life and all of the wisdom she has accrued over such a long life.
While she is gone, she will live on in the memories of those she helped and inspired.
