Roberta Basch Schneidman

Roberta Schneidman entered her 100th year on January 2, 2026, and celebrated her 99th birthday before the new year with a joyful family reunion including most of her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. She was grateful for her good health, independence, and the wonderful life she led. She often said, “Don’t cry for me when I die, I’ve had a lot of fun!”

She contracted pneumonia soon after the celebration, and died peacefully on February 7, 2026. She lived independently until the final weeks of her life.

Roberta traveled through life propelled by a mixture of passion, curiosity, creativity, and adventure. Born in Pittsburg, she grew up in Philadelphia with her parents Justin and Rose Basch and her younger brother Jay. She was an excellent student and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1948.

She was hired by a small public relations firm, where she met her great love and life partner, Harold Schneidman. They were married March 4, 1949 and spent their first anniversary at the hospital welcoming their first child, Sara. A second child, Seth, soon followed.

Harold was offered a position in the Foreign Service, and the couple was thrilled with this opportunity for adventure. In 1957, the family moved to Manila.

Their world expanded rapidly, as did their family, with two more sons, Grant and Jared, born in
the Philippines. Roberta performed the myriad duties of a diplomat’s wife, and still found time for horseback riding and for artistic expression. She created drawings, paintings, mosaics and sculptures which were exhibited publicly. Their second posting was in Jakarta, Indonesia, and then they enjoyed four glorious years of service in Rome, before they returned to Washington, D.C. Harold retired from the government in 1980.

Roberta took a job at Neiman-Marcus to support her son Grant’s passion for horseback riding. Not surprisingly, she was rapidly promoted to department manager.

In the late 1990s, Harold developed signs of cognitive impairment, which worsened until his death in 2010. Roberta cared for him throughout his illness.

For the first time, Roberta was living on her own. She decided to fill her life with friends, old and new. She volunteered at the National Gallery, joined the Washington Hebrew Congregation, and the Hillwood Museum. She continued exploring the world, to visit family and friends, to see art, and to appreciate the beauty of nature. She considered everyone she met a friend: from neighbors, to museum guards, to baristas. She was truly unique and will be greatly missed.

She will be remembered by her four children, Sara (Bill Landis), Seth, Grant (Sharon Schneidman) and Jared (Maria Plaxco); her four grandchildren, Helene, Jessica, Justin, and Eleanor; and four great-grandchildren, Adrienne, Lucy, Rory, and Austin.