PAULA SCHNEIDER

1935 - 2021

SCHNEIDER, Paula (Aberle, Wallach) 85, of Brookline, an educator, clinical social worker, wife and mother, and grandmother, died of a stroke following a prolonged struggle with Alzheimer's disease on April 2nd, 2021. Paula, the younger daughter of Eva Lessuck and Samuel Aberle, was born August 21st, 1935 in the Bronx, New York. She spent most of her childhood in Jacksonville, Florida where she graduated, as salutatorian, from Landon High School in 1953. Upon graduating from the University of Pennsylvania in 1957, where she was the president of the Sigma Delta Tau Sorority, she moved on to pursue her Master's degree in Social Work at Columbia University. Shortly thereafter she met and married Dr. Martin Wallach, a psychologist at the University of North Carolina and transferred to UNC to complete her Master's degree. Martin passed away in the Spring of 1964 and Paula remained in Chapel Hill, where she ran the Head Start program before relocating with her son, Lewis, to Boston in 1968 to work in the Boston Juvenile court. She married Herbert Schneider, a widower with two children, Daniel and Janet, on December 15th, 1968 and the couple settled in South Brookline. Paula and Herb became parents again when their son Samuel was born in 1971. Shortly thereafter, Paula returned to work, this time as a clinical social worker at the Cambridge Hospital. She later moved on to the Gifford School in Weston and finally into academia, teaching in the social work department at Regis College. She later earned a Ph.D in Law, Policy and Society at Northeastern University. Married for thirty years, Paula and Herb also enjoyed working together in private practice as couples' therapists. After Herb suffered a debilitating stroke in 1996, Paula redirected her energy toward his care and comfort until he passed away in 1998. Family was of tremendous importance to Paula, and she loved spending time with her children and grandchildren, as well as her many nieces, nephews and cousins. Paula's family, friends, colleagues and former students will no doubt remember her as bright, articulate, energetic, athletic and vivacious. She is survived by her son, Lewis, and his wife Elizabeth Abbe and their sons, Martin, Leo and Jacob of Pacific Palisades, CA and her son Sam and his wife Sonia and their daughters Sophia and Hallie of Brookline, MA and her stepson, Danny and his children Jessica, Julia and Eli of Sharon, MA and, stepdaughter, Janet and son Denis of Methuen, MA. A private Burial will be held at Temple Emeth Memorial Park in West Roxbury. A celebration of her life will be held at a date to be determined. In lieu of flowers, donations in Paula's name can be made to Rosie's Place, 889 Harrison Ave., Boston, MA 02118, or Jewish Family and Children's Services, 1430 Main St., Waltham, MA 02451.