Barbara S. Royal

Barbara S. Royal, nee Schneider, passed away peacefully at home in Munster, IN on June 22, 2022. She was the beloved wife of Richard "Dick" Royal; loving mother of Carl Royal (Judith), Anne Royal (Kevin Reinhart), and Judy Royal (Tim Patenode); devoted grandmother to Andrew Royal (Adriana), Jennifer Royal (Steve Van Loon), Spencer Patenode, Caroline Patenode (Akinobu Watanabe), and Nicolas Patenode, as well as to great-grandchildren Basil and Maeve Royal; dear sister to Charles Schneider (Lorraine); and beloved aunt to many nieces and nephews. Barb was preceded in death by Dick and Anne. Barbara was born on Valentine's Day, 1924 in Mason City, IA and grew up in Garner, IA, the daughter of the general store owner. She loved acting and theater and, when she was in high school, won the state award for best actress at the Drake University annual drama competition. She and Dick met when he helped freshmen move into their dorm at Grinnell College. On the first day of spring of her freshman year, they secretly eloped - World War II was on, and Dick had been drafted into the army. It was a wonderful match. Barb and Dick were married over 60 years, celebrating both their golden and diamond anniversaries with friends and family. During the war, Barb worked for the base newspaper, getting a lot of attention as she zipped around on her scooter. After the war ended, she helped support Dick through Harvard Business School, then moved with him to Chicago before settling in Hammond, IN, where they raised their three children and lived until Dick passed away. Despite leaving college early, she was highly educated, being a voracious reader and attending lectures, concerts, and visiting museums. Barbara was quite musically talented and sang in choirs from childhood until well into her 90's. She was deeply engaged in her community and was involved for decades in organizations such as the League of Women Voters, the Philanthropic Educational Organization (from which she received an award in 2020 for 78 years of involvement) and the PTA Council, often taking leadership roles and heading up projects. She also worked on political campaigns and supported various causes affecting local politics. She was very involved with her beloved Woodmar United Methodist Church, taking on multiple roles. She was employed at different times as a reading teacher, at the local branch of Purdue University and at an architecture firm. Her intelligence and dedication to others was combined with a radiant spirit and delightful sense of humor. A Memorial Service will be held at Woodmar United Methodist Church, 7320 Northcote Avenue, Hammond, IN, on Sunday, July 3rd at 2:00 pm CDT, and will be livestreamed on YouTube. In lieu of flowers, contributions in memory of Barbara may be made to International Rescue Committee: https://www.rescue.org/ or 1-855-9RESCUE. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.ChapelLawnFunerals.com for the Royal family.