with Horse and Hound

James Schmidhammer 1950-2024

I was saddened to hear about Jim Schmidhammer’s passing. He was a joint master for the Tennessee Valley Hunt early in my foxhunting career, and I had many conversations with them at their home about hunting. They were both mentors to me regarding hunting and riding skills over country. Jim was the consummate Southern gentleman and a keen foxhunter. However, what one noticed most about Jim was his devotion to his bride, Mary Sue Younger. Mary Sue was a charter member of Tennessee Valley and served as the Archivist for the hunt club. They were both statistics professors at the University of Tennessee and shared a love of riding and hunting. Mary Sue passed away this summer in August after a long illness. I know Jim was brokenhearted with her passing. They were both bright stars in the foxhunting community. I shall miss both of them.

James L. Schmidhammer, age 73 of Farragut, passed away on November 1, 2024. James was born in Altoona, PA to Leo and Audrey Schmidhammer on December 18, 1950. He received a Bachelor of Science in Physics in 1974 from Carnegie-Mellon University, Master of Education from the University of Pittsburgh in 1977, Master of Arts in Mathematics and Statistics from University of Pittsburgh in 1981, PHD in Educational Research from the University of Pittsburgh in 1984 and an MBA from the University of Tennessee in 1996. James had a distinguished and lengthy career as a Statistics Professor at the University of Tennessee. He had a passion for being outdoors and enjoyed horse riding and birdwatching. Jim embraced with enthusiasm the sport of fox hunting, serving as Joint Master of Foxhounds for the Tennessee Valley Hunt from 2005-2008 and continuing to support the hunt, in every way, until his death.

He is preceded in death by his loving wife, Mary Sue Younger, parents, Leo and Audrey Schmidhammer and siblings, Pat, Bob, Norma, Nancy and Marge. He is survived by his nephew, Ron Roehm and niece, Patti Imler. James and Mary’s ashes will be spread together at Penrose Farm, on a date that will be announced in the upcoming weeks. In lieu of flowers memorials may be made in his name to Shangri-La Therapeutic Academy of Riding (STAR) at www.rideatstar.org/donate.html.

Here is Mary Sue’s obituary from a few months ago:

Mary Sue Younger, age 79, of Farragut, Tennessee, passed away on Sunday, August 4, 2024. She was preceded in death by her father, Douglas Younger, and her mother, Sue Compton, both of Roanoke, Virginia. She is survived by her loving husband James L. Schmidhammer, her long-term loving caregiver Teresa Terry, and various cousins. The great love of her life was horses, which she rode for over 50 years. She participated in a lifetime of horse competitions, amassing over 500 ribbons and numerous trophies. Her most notable horse was Easy Does It, who she evented up to Preliminary level. She then gave him to her husband who evented him up to Training level. She was widely known throughout the Southeast in the horse community and was the scorer for the equestrian competitions in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. She was a lifelong fox hunter and was a founding member of the Tennessee Valley Hunt. She received a PhD in Statistics from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. She then joined the faculty of the University of Tennessee, retiring from the Department of Statistics after 39 years of service. The ashes from her cremation will be scattered at Penrose Farm. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Shangri-La Therapeutic Academy of Riding (STAR).

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