Luise F Schnakenburg

Luise Margaret Freeman Schnakenburg, retired educator and community leader, died July 10, 2015 at age 99.

Luise was born June 5, 1916 to the late Luise W. (Tiemann) and James F. Freeman, Jr. Neither the Great Depression nor the Flood of '37 during her college senior year discouraged Luise from continuing her education. She graduated from Reitz High School in 1933 and from Evansville College in 1937, then pursued postgraduate studies at the University of Chicago before her marriage to Otto H. Schnakenburg in 1939.

Luise began work in education as a kindergarten assistant at Chestnut-Walnut School, but soon found a teaching position at Howard Roosa. Her career was suspended while she was busy raising children, but ten years later she resumed teaching social studies and history at Cynthia Heights, then at Central High School. After earning a master's degree in guidance and counseling from Indiana University, Luise was appointed dean of girls at Reitz. In 1965 she became dean of women/director of women's counseling at University of Evansville.

She was past president of the Indiana Women Deans and Counselors Association, the Southwestern Indiana Guidance Association, Evansville Opti-Mrs., and the local chapter of Alpha Delta Kappa Society. Many honors came her way, including an Alumni Achievement Award from UE and a Distinguished Alumni Service Award from IU's School of Education.

She served on the boards of the Good Samaritan Home, Vanderburgh County Welfare Department, Public Health Nursing Association, Ivy Tech; also on the Indiana State Guidance Board which set guidelines for licensing school counselors. In 1972, she was appointed to a group of community leaders charged with planning for a new IU School of Medicine in Evansville.

Luise Schnakenburg is best remembered by some for her tenure on the Evansville-Vanderburgh School Board from 1965-1977. Never afraid to tackle a problem or to offer a position counter to popular opinion, her straightforward leadership style invited both criticism and admiration. She was the first woman to serve as Board President.

In 1977, the State School Board Association named her Outstanding School Board Member in Indiana, praising her for "a lifetime of dedication and leadership in education" and recognizing one of her most significant accomplishments: "the integration of elementary schools without violence." The citation credited Mrs. Schnakenburg for holding a news conference at the beginning of court-ordered school desegregation, when she "appealed for calm, and calm prevailed."

From 1979 to 1981 she was Vice President/Dean of the Evansville campus of Indiana Vocational Technical College. Ivy Tech later granted her a Distinguished Service Award and honorary Associate of Science Degree in College and Community Service.

Luise was a devoted wife, mother, and friend. For decades she and her husband Otto enjoyed vacationing in Ormond Beach, FL. Her boundless energy, attention to detail, and organizational skills carried over into an active social life that included hundreds of parties given for friends and family. At home she regularly reminded her children as they walked out the door, "Don't forget to smile!"

Luise is survived by children Jane Ellen (J. David) Chesney of The Woodlands, TX and Barry (Darby) Schnakenburg of Naples, FL and Evansville. She is also survived by five grandchildren: Dr. Brad (Kirsten) Chesney of Murfreesboro, TN; Blake (Debra) Chesney of Smyrna, TN; Diana Schnakenburg (Martin Meddles) of Evansville; Margaret (Michael) Hungate of Evansville; and William (Meghan) Schnakenburg of The Woodlands, TX. Great-grandchildren are: Claire and Ella Chesney of Murfreesboro; Elayna, Wyatt, Lillian, and Owen Zausch of Evansville; and Charlotte Hungate of Evansville. Step great-granddaughters are Abigail Hungate Warner and Alexandra Hungate of Louisville. Luise was preceded in death by her husband Otto in 2004 and by her identical twin sister Jane Freeman Heneisen in 2014.

Visitation will be at Alexander North Funeral Home Monday, July 13 from 3:00 to 7:00 pm. The funeral will be 10:00 am Tuesday, July 14 at Alexander North visitation 9:00 am until service time with burial following at Alexander Memorial Cemetery in the Chapel of Remembrance Mausoleum.

Memorial contributions may be made to the University of Evansville Alumni Association, Bethel United Church of Christ, the Luise Freeman Schnakenburg Endowed Scholarship Fund of the University of Evansville, or the Luise Schnakenburg Scholarship Fund of Ivy Tech in Evansville.

Alexander Memorial Park Burial Location: Chapel Of Remembrance, Section O, Crypt 91