Carolyn Iris Schneider

Carolyn Iris Schneider (née Gold), a devoted and beloved wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, cousin, and friend, passed away peacefully in her home on 28 January 2026. Born on 19 February 1945, in Brooklyn, New York, Carolyn was the third of four children of Beatrice and Samuel Gold.

Carolyn grew up at 926 East 23rd Street in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn where she was surrounded by a large but close-knit family that included aunts, uncles, and cousins who she adored. She was always quick to let people know where she was from (as though you couldn’t instantly tell from her thick Brooklynese accent) or connect with anyone she ever met from Brooklyn, no matter where she was in the world. As a child, Carolyn learned to play piano, enjoyed arts and crafts, delighted in Broadway musicals, and attended PS 152 Elementary School. She went to Hudde Junior High and Midwood High School, graduating in 1962.

For college, Carolyn ventured on to what seemed to her parents like very far away from home, all the way to the Jersey Shore, and she enrolled as an Art Major at Monmouth College in West Long Branch. On her very first day of school, Carolyn and her roommate decided to hitchhike their way back to their apartment on the beach. Unbeknownst to her, her future husband, David, pulled over in his 1960 Sunliner convertible and picked her up. Carolyn got in the back seat, she and David locked eyes in the rearview mirror, and the rest is history.

Carolyn married David Schneider on 27 August 1966, at the East Midwood Jewish Center in Brooklyn. They moved into an apartment together in Verona, New Jersey, where they had their son, Richard. Carolyn began her career as an art teacher at East Orange Elementary School. In 1969, they moved to Maplewood, New Jersey, where their daughter Lori was born in 1972.

In Maplewood, Carolyn started a business with one of her best friends called “Plants for Pleasure” and she had quite the green thumb. Carolyn and David were charter members of the Folk Music Society of Northern New Jersey, and they often held concerts in their home. She loved to cook and was an integral part of a gourmet club with dear friends where she fearlessly made exquisite dishes from around the world in every style of cuisine. She steadily kept her children, and eventually her grandchildren, right by her side in the kitchen, passing down family recipes and teaching her kin how to prepare traditional Jewish and Italian delicacies along with other incredible meals.

Carolyn was a tireless homemaker who worked full-time as an office manager while raising her children, and she made sure everyone who entered her home was taken care of and well-fed. She traveled extensively with her husband, children, and friends warmly embracing whoever she met along the way. She had a sharp sense of humor, a contagious laugh, sang show tunes, enjoyed knitting, and created beautiful scarves and blankets treasured by her children and grandchildren. She was gracious and selfless, staunchly putting herself last. She would insist on giving up her chair and sit on the floor rather than let someone else stand.

In 1984, Carolyn and her family moved to Watchung, New Jersey, where she worked in Scotch Plains at the Guardian Life Insurance Company. Carolyn became passionate about the Jazzercise movement and anything involving aerobic fitness. In 1992, Carolyn and David moved to the Barons in Basking Ridge. At the Barons, Carolyn cherished her community, playing Canasta and Mahjong with her ladies, walking frequently with friends, serving on the landscaping committee, and supporting her neighbors through difficult times. She was a frequent visitor to the Basking Ridge Public Library where everyone knew her by name. Carolyn worked at Summit Financial as an administrative assistant and retired in 2018.

Carolyn was an avid reader, with thick Holocaust tomes, post-it-tabbed and thoroughly annotated cookbooks, and best-selling novels constantly stacked by her bedside and on her night table. She was a power walker who relished the fresh air, her time outdoors, and staying active.

One of Carolyn’s greatest strengths was her unwavering commitment to her husband, children, grandchildren, family, and friends. You could always count on her to host holiday gatherings or show up at special events with delicious food in her arms and a radiant smile on her face. She was optimistic, joyful, and generously shared wisdom and advice (“it never hurts to ask” and “it’s nice to be nice”). She will be missed dearly.

Carolyn is survived by her husband David; her sister Barbara; her brother Joe; her brother-in-law Jules; her son Richard and daughter-in-law Maren; her daughter Lori and son-in-law Dan; her grandchildren Oscar, Brown, Wolf, and Lucy; a large extended family; and countless friends.

The family will be receiving guests at the Bernheim-Apter-Kreitzman Suburban Funeral Chapel, located at 68 Old Short Hills Road, Livingston, New Jersey, 07039, on January 30, 2026, from 12:15 pm to 12:45 pm, follow by a funeral service at 1:00 pm.

Burial will occur at Cedar Park Cemetery, 735 Forest Avenue, Paramus, New Jersey, 07652, on January 30, 2026, at 2:30 pm.

Shiva will be held at the Schneider Home, parking is reserved for residents, please park in the lot at the Club House or in designated “Guest” parking spots. Please call the funeral home for further information.

Shiva will be held Friday January 30th from 5:30pm to 9:00pm, Saturday, January 31st from 1pm to 5pm and Sunday February 1 from noon to 3pm.