The family of a 10-year-old girl who died in a boating accident on Lake Geneva has come forward to honor her memory and share details about who she was.
Kathryn “Kate” Schmidt of Batavia, Illinois, was one of three children killed on July 3 when a boat capsized during a sudden and severe storm that swept through the Lake Geneva area over the Fourth of July weekend. She died alongside her cousins, 6-year-old Caleb Oswald and 7-year-old Abigail Oswald.
According to the National Weather Service, winds during the storm reached as high as 100 mph, catching boaters on the lake off guard. In total, 10 people were aboard the vessel when it capsized and sank.
First responders managed to rescue six adults and one child from the water, but the three young cousins were later found still with the sunken boat. Authorities confirmed that all four children aboard had been wearing properly fitted life jackets at the time of the accident.
Medical examiners found no external injuries on the children, and officials say the preliminary cause of death is consistent with freshwater drowning.
Kate attended Grace McWayne Elementary School in Batavia, where she was involved in athletics and sang with her school choir. She also had a passion for painting and trained in competitive tennis with programs in Plainfield, Aurora, and Lockport. Family members described her as someone who lit up any room she walked into, noting that she “didn’t have a mean bone in her body.”
Jonathon Schmidt, a family member from Batavia, set up a GoFundMe fundraiser in Kate’s honor. Rather than accepting flowers or traditional funeral donations, the family asked well-wishers to contribute to a fund that will help other kids get involved in sports like tennis and softball, or help them adopt pets, causes that reflected Kate’s own interests.
In a statement shared alongside the fundraiser, Kate’s family said they had been overwhelmed by the outpouring of community support since her passing, including meal trains and other acts of kindness from neighbors and friends. They said they hoped the fund would allow her spirit and generosity to live on by giving other children opportunities she cherished.
The Schmidt family also expressed deep gratitude to the first responders who worked to rescue the children, including local police, fire crews, dive teams, and water safety patrol members, and thanked them for their swift and compassionate response during such a difficult moment.
Caleb and Abigail’s family also released a statement following their deaths, describing the siblings as inseparable best friends who filled their home with laughter and love. They said that despite their heartbreak, they hope to carry forward a legacy of compassion and helping others in their children’s names.
A spokesperson for Community Unit School District 200 in Wheaton confirmed that several of the children who died had been students within the district.
