Sophie Fitzsimmons-Peters had a wide network and deep roots.

That’s especially apparent in Ednor Gardens-Lakeside, the neighborhood she and her husband, Anton Schneider, bought a home in a couple years ago.

It reminded her of the small towns of Hector and Watkins Glen, New York, where she grew up, Schneider said. She would take their son — Desmond — around the neighborhood to look at the chickens a neighbor is raising. Or to a community garden where “Des” would pick ripe, juicy tomatoes.

Fitzsimmons-Peters died July 9 from post-delivery complications, just days after giving birth to Josie, her second child and only daughter. She was 34. Josie is healthy, her family said.

Before that, she had been a corps member in Detroit with City Year, a school-based therapist with Catholic Charities of Baltimore, an intern with the Maryland Office of the Public Defender and more.

She graduated magna cum laude from college and was her high school valedictorian — and an accomplished student-athlete, according to a local reporter who covered her.

“She was this incredibly intelligent person, had so much brainpower,” Schneider said. “[And] the simplest things just made her so happy.”

‘A special light in her’

Those who talk about Fitzsimmons-Peters described her as kind. Humble. Someone who knew who she was — and someone who had a competitive streak.

“She has just a special light in her,” said Jaisal Noor, a friend and neighbor.

He said that no matter what was happening the world or in her life, Fitzsimmons-Peters always approached life with compassion and care, “and was unwavering in her commitment to share that with others.”

“That’s a small and simple thing maybe, but in the reality we live in, that’s just so important to have people who genuinely care for others. The world would be a better place if more people were like Sophie,” he said.

She clearly made an impact on the tight-knit neighborhood of Ednor Gardens-Lakeside.

When Desmond and his mom were on the porch, the 2 1/2-year-old would shout out a neighbor’s name, invariably leading to that neighbor coming over and catching up.

“Just, basic human kindness was like currency for her,” Schneider said. “Our neighborhood was the best example of that.”

Fitzsimmons-Peters would bake things for neighborhood block parties. The family attended chili cook-offs, holiday parties and other events. She was a “dedicated member of the Ednor Gardens Lakeside Civic Association,” according to a statement from the group.

“Her gentle and warm demeanor touched all who knew her, leaving a lasting impression of her open-hearted spirit and genuine kindness. Sophie will be deeply missed and fondly remembered by our community,” the association said in a statement.

Julia Coffin, another friend — and Noor’s wife — said Fitzsimmons-Peters was “unflappable” and could always be counted on.

She “embodied a quiet leadership, emanated a sense of calm and peace and was very thoughtful, and a very easy person to talk to,” Coffin said.

Her cousin, Liam Fitzsimmons, said the family was rallying around Schneider and the children, along with a network of others from Baltimore and around the world.

“Sophie was a smart, accomplished and beautiful person,” he said in an email. “She was deeply humble and practiced a quiet yet purposeful kindness throughout her life and career.”

‘What kindness can create’

Fitzsimmons-Peters knew from a young age she wanted to serve with the Peace Corps. Her mother, Marie Fitzsimmons, said as much — and so did Fitzsimmons-Peters herself, according to a blog post called “What kindness can create” that she wrote in 2019.

“That’s her heart. She’s a person of the world. She’s always had a global heart,” Fitzsimmons said.

Fitzsimmons-Peters served in Uganda, alongside her husband, as English literacy specialists. She taught phonics, coached soccer and helped organize gatherings for her fellow Peace Corps volunteers.

Emily Brown, a friend who served in the same Peace Corps cohort as Fitzsimmons-Peters, said Fitzsimmons-Peters was entirely committed to the school and community she was working at in Uganda.

“Sophie hit the ground running, it felt like. She knew why she was there,” said Devin Abbott, another cohort member and Brown’s husband.

Abbott and Brown recently moved to Baltimore from near Washington, D.C., in part because of Fitzsimmons-Peters and Schneider, they said.

“Emily and I met in Peace Corps. They [Fitzimmons-Peters and Schneider] saw us through like everything,” Abbott said. “It was good to have them around and learn from their relationship. They were just so good together.”

Once, their cohort decided to take some time to travel to another part of Uganda for a getaway. Abbott and Brown said they got a text from Schneider that they wouldn’t be able to make it to the trip, because Fitzsimmons-Peters had hurt her ankle. They even sent a photo of an X-ray.

The cohort was “very close,” Abbott said, so everyone was really disappointed that two of them wouldn’t make it.

“And then maybe five hours later, we’re all sitting around, playing games, they just show up, they’re like, ‘We got you!” Brown said. “They were so goofy like that. Always down for pranks. We were all just so happy they could be there.”

Since Fitzsimmons-Peters died, the many communities she was a part of have rallied around her family. A fundraiser established to support Schneider and their two children has raised over $110,000 as of Friday afternoon.

The neighborhood they lived in has come together too, with a “massive outpouring of support,” Noor said.

People are offering to help with child care, to get groceries. “There’s a long line of people that are just trying to do whatever they can to help out,” Noor said. “That’s how our community responds, we look out for each other and take care of each other.”

Brown said the support that’s come in for the family is also “a reflection of Sophie and how loved she was. And how many people are going to miss her and knew how great of a person she was.”

“She just gave people so much comfort. I guess a lot of people would say this about the person they married and had kids with,” Schneider said, “but seeing her in every phase of life, and seeing her as a mother was so special.”