Christopher Richard Schmitt

Christopher Richard Schmitt, 45, died April 9, 2020, at home in Austin, TX. At 6’7”, he was the tallest person in his immediate family, much to his older brother’s chagrin. He considered it a “win” to get someone to laugh, and he won many times. He accomplished getting his family members to laugh until they cried, or telling a joke, right as someone was taking a drink to have it coming out of their nose from laughter (so embarrassing, and, yet, so hilarious).

Christopher was loveable, humble, kind, and generous. He loved his girlfriend and their shared family. He loved doing whatever his family would be doing from watching Florida State sports, to visiting each other, to playing card and board games (Tripoley was a family favorite), to hanging out, to visiting family favorites such as Disney World or the beach, or having new adventures with them around the country. He was the best Uncle to his nephews and nieces. He would find out what the kids would want for their birthdays or Christmas and spoil them rotten. If he didn’t have a gift idea, he would research for the perfect gift for them. His new baby gifts were on point.

Christopher loved learning. He loved science fiction, including Doctor Who, Classic Star Wars, and Star Trek. He loved wearing his Chewbacca costume at different events, where he would happily have his picture taken with other science fiction fans. He always had a good story to share from wearing that costume. He was an expert in Web design, authoring many books on the subject, and loved how the internet could help people. Most of all, he wanted any one that came into contact with him to be comfortable and at ease. He was an incredible human being all the way around.

Christopher was born February 24, 1975, in Tallahassee, FL. He was the son of Richard and Meg Schmitt. He graduated from Leon High School in 1993. He earned an Undergraduate Degree from Florida State University in Fine Arts with emphasis in Graphic Design. He also earned a Master’s Degree from Florida State University in Communication for Interactive and New Communication Technologies and a Graduate Certificate in Project Management from FSU’s College of Communication. Christopher authored many books on web design, most notably the “CSS Cookbook” for O’Reilly Publishing. He produced and led the NonBreaking Space Show podcast, which discussed web design and related issues. Through his company, Heatvision, he hosted web-related professional conferences around the world, improved the accessibility and structure of his clients’ websites, and advocated for a more inclusive Web.

Christopher is preceded in death by his mother, Meg Schmitt; his grandparents, Elizabeth and Karl Schmitt, and Inez and Harry Young; and his uncle, Daniel Schmitt.

He is survived by his girlfriend, Arianne Stiles, and her two sons, Julien and Gabe. His father and stepmother, Richard and Sara Schmitt of Cartersville, GA; two brothers, Paul (Teri) Schmitt of Merrimack, NH, and David (Margot) Schmitt of Oviedo, FL; sister, Tiffany (Brian) Gokey of Cartersville, GA; two stepsisters, Melissa Hurst of Austin, TX, and Jessica Alvarez of Tampa, FL. He is also survived by his 13 nephews and nieces, Nick, Elisabeth, Matthew, Mary, Michael, and Cecilia Schmitt; Ryan, Megan, and Meredith Schmitt; Gianna, Lillian, Robert, and Natalie Gokey.

Please visit www.christopher.org or https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Schmitt for more information about Christopher and his accomplishments.

Visitation will be held Tuesday, June 23, 2020 from 5-7pm at Culley's MeadowWood Funeral Home, 1737 Riggins Road, Tallahassee, Florida 32308. Visitation will be broadcast for those who cannot attend. Links will be posted immediately prior at twitter.com/teleject . The Funeral Mass will be held Wednesday, June 24, 2020 at 10am at the Co-Cathedral of St. Thomas More, 900 W. Tennessee Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32304 with graveside services to immediately follow at MeadowWood Memorial Park, 700 Timberlane Road, Tallahassee, Florida 32312. The Funeral Mass will be recorded for those who cannot attend. Watch for a link on the St. Thomas More site https://www.cocathedral.com/ to appear by noon EDT. For those who will be in attendance at the church, face masks are required.

In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate memorial donations be made to the Children’s Organ Transplant Association (https://cota.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/CheckDonationForm.pdf) or the non-profit group, Knowbility (https://knowbility.org/donate)