Anne Schenkel

1935 - 2016

Anne M. Schenkel, 81, of Bethlehem, passed away Saturday, July 23, 2016, in her home. She was the wife of The Very Rev. Robert D. Schenkel, Jr., with whom she celebrated 59 years of marriage last Wednesday, July 20. Born in Hagerstown, Maryland April 16, 1935 she was the daughter of the late Philip and Helen (Miller) Mathias. Beginning in 1950 she attended St. Catherine's School in Richmond, Virginia graduating in 1953. While there she was confirmed in The Episcopal Church. In 1954 she was selected to be a princess in Virginia's Apple blossom Festival in Winchester hosted that year by the television personality Ed Sullivan. Her freshman year in college was spent at Pine Manor Junior College in Wellesley, Massachusetts where she was elected president of her freshman class. Realizing that two years of college would not satisfy her educational wishes she transferred to Denison University in Granville, Ohio. There she was member of the Alpha Phi sorority. The first semester of her senior year was spent at the Washington Semester Program at American University. This program immerses the student in the life of the nation's capital as well as attending seminars on the three branches of government. Following her graduation from Denison in 1957 she married Bob Schenkel of Greencastle, Pa. in St. John's Episcopal Church in Hagerstown July 20, 1957. In September 1957 she accompanied her husband to The Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, Virginia where he pursued his theological degree, and Anne worked for the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. While there Anne gave birth to her first son. Graduating in 1960 they moved to Baltimore, Maryland where Bob served at Christ Church, and there they had their second son. Their next move was in 1963 to Annapolis, Maryland and St. Margaret's Parish and they had their third son. From 1968 to 1972 the Schenkels lived in Kansas City, Missouri where Bob served in a team ministry at St. Andrew's Church, and their fourth son arrived. While in Kansas City the family enjoyed many travels throughout the mid-west. 1972 found the family moving to New England and Nashua, New Hampshire when Bob was called to be Rector of The Church of the Good Shepherd. During their time in Nashua Anne worked for the Nashua Corporation and the Hamblett and Kerrigan law firm. Then in 1984 Bob was elected Dean and Rector of The Cathedral Church of the Nativity. This move found Anne working in Human Resources at Bethlehem Steel and later serving as a marketing counselor for the emerging Moravian Hall Square in Nazareth. Anne also assisted an interior designer thus satisfying her interest and utilizing her talents in that area. Anne was also active in the community serving on the board of the Moravian Village, the Auxiliary of St. Luke's University Hospital, and as member of the St. Matthew's Planned Giving Society of the Diocese of Bethlehem. Throughout her life and many stops, Anne enjoyed playing tennis wherever and whenever she could and as the role as mother of four very active boys allowed her. While Anne enjoyed several trips to Europe and other parts of the world the two most significant were to the former Yugoslavia and to Russia where she was involved in a project helping the Orthodox Church most of which were closed during the communist regime that were then in the process of reopening. As the mother of four boys and grandmother to five, Anne always enjoyed family gatherings anytime of the year but especially during the holidays. Survivors: Husband; Sons, Robert, III of Bethlehem, Philip (Maureen) of Emmaus, Hunt (Monica Najar) of Bethlehem and Stuart (Emily) of Bethlehem; a sister, Jane Noland of Warrenton, VA; grandchildren, Benjamin, Britney, Matthew, Nicholas and Lanie. Services: 11 a.m., Thursday, July 28, in the Cathedral Church of the Nativity, 321 Wyandotte, St. Bethlehem. Contributions: May be made to St. Catherine's School, Richmond VA; The Third Millennium Fund, Cathedral Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem, PA and The Auxiliary of St. Luke's University Hospital. Online condolences may be sent to www.pearsonfh.com