Leanora S. Schneider

Lea Schneider was born to Edward and Marian Schoonmaker of Rochester NY in April 1945. Their love for her, their faith in Christ, and their wonder at all God’s creation has shaped Lea’s whole life. Coming to faith in Christ in her youth, she continued to grow in wisdom, lovely stature and love of God and the rest of us - including her younger brothers, Jeff, Greg, and Renny. Once she finished her studies at Russell Sage College and SUNY, she began teaching - for forty years in Essex. Her professional legacy is a thousand students who enjoy knowing their math facts and who read widely in good books.

But she is more than professional. In her first year of teaching she agreed to marry Dale. For 56 years she has been a delightful and thoughtful companion. Day after day Dale thanks God for her love. Lea bore, raised, and loved three children, Sarah, Katie, and Stephen. She played with them, went skating or swimming, and learned to ski in her fifties. She led them to love her parents and Lake Champlain. Freely giving cookies, books, advice, and prayers, she loved them to the childrens’ children, even at her last day.

After the children grew up, Lea retired to care for her parents with selfless devotion and joy. For six years she joked with her father and found suitable crosswords for Mother while making sure they had the right meals and blankets.

Lea’s thoughts and prayers often rose on music: church choirs, weddings, lullabies and camp fires were all good. For 56 years she sang in Cappella Cantorum, where she formed many lasting friendships. All those years Cappella has enriched our region with classic -often Christian - beauty with Lea working hours behind the scenes as well as in Soprano section.

She died with family around her October 24, 2025. Lea does love flowers. Every day of this summer there were flowers on her table, but now that her eyes are closed one might choose to donate instead to another group dear to her heart:

Living Rock Church www.living-rock.org or www.cappellacantorum.org