Sylvia Schooler

1921 - 2015

Sylvia Schooler
1921-2015
Sylvia Schooler, age 93, passed away on March 14, 2015 in the company of loved ones. She was predeceased by her parents, Ella and Paul Segal, and by her husband of 57 years, Robert I. Schooler. She is survived by her sister, Helen Brown Farber; her children, Lionel Schooler (and wife, Marsha), Renee Schooler, Janice Litvin (and husband, Joe), and Steven Schooler; her grandchildren, Larry Schooler (and wife, Jolie), Lauren Schooler, Allison Burns (and husband, Doug), Jared Ogilvie, and Lee Litvin, and by five great-grandchildren.
Sylvia spent many hours volunteering for activities that fit her passion for public speaking, dancing and acting. She was also motivated by a burning intellectual curiosity and a thirst for education whose pursuit was stymied first by the Great Depression and then by World War II. Even so, Sylvia learned many career skills after her children were grown, excelling first in the personnel placement business and later in accounting and tax practice. At the age of 53, she returned to college to obtain her undergraduate degree. After four years of hard work, she received her degree in 1978, just after the birth of her first grandson, Larry. She immediately went to work with the Internal Revenue Service, where she served in several positions for over 30 years, during which time she received commendations for her accomplishments. Retirement at the age of 84 did not spell the end of her pursuits. She then undertook volunteer activities to give back to the community, including her favorite, which was coaching Bar and Bat Mitzvah teenagers in speech and elocution.
She will be missed by all her friends and family. The family is grateful for the Herculean healing efforts of her longtime doctor, Dr. Steven Fadem, particularly for his empathy, his joy at engaging with Sylvia intellectually, and his great skills in the field of nephrology. Funeral services for Sylvia will be conducted at the Beth Yeshurun Cemetery on Post Oak Road at 2:00 P.M., Monday, March 16, 2015. The family requests that those wishing to remember and honor Sylvia's memory may do so by contributing to the Greenfield Chapel at Congregation Beth Yeshurun in Houston, the National Kidney Foundation, or a charity of your choice.