James Cary Schendel

June 22, 1957 - November 22, 2023 "He was my best friend, he always made me laugh, he had a big heart, he was very generous, he would always help me out, he was a sensitive and talented man, open and up for any adventure, his voice is in my head and heart, I will not be the same person without him in the world." These were some of the comments made by Jim's friends after he died.
James Cary Schendel, 66, died of a suspected heart attack on November 22, 2023, in Northridge, California. He was born in Denver, Colorado, and lived in Denver, Salt Lake City, and Fountain Valley, California while growing up. He received a BA degree in theater from the University of California, Irvine in 1980. Jim also excelled in math, physics, and German in college, and said that he may have been the only drama major with calculus as a breadth requirement.
After graduating from college, he joined the "Young Globe-ers" group at the Old Globe Theater in San Diego. Two years later, he joined the cast of the "Great American Melodrama" in Oceano, California. Later, he played the bard in a program for school children called "Shakespeare at Play" which brought Shakespeare to the schools in southern California. For several years, he was part of a group of actors who brought a week-long Shakespeare festival to the town of Henderson, Nevada. He also performed in many Shakespeare plays in other southern California venues and had many other roles in theater. He was passionate about theater and was a member of the Directors Guild of America (DGA) and regularly voted in the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) awards.
James was committed to the arts, to kids, and to social justice. He loved music and studied voice. He sang in a choir, and he was a guitarist and singer for "Banna Beag Mall", an Irish musical group, that performs in southern California. The band leader wrote that Jim was "a raconteur, full of funny jokes and stories, but he didn't joke around in his commitment to Banna Beag Mall: he never missed a practice." He was also an artist who loved drawing and painting, especially portraits, and he completed many art pieces over the years. He was, further, an educator, beloved by kids as a substitute teacher, art teacher, and summer school teacher. He offered an online art program to kids during the pandemic. James was committed to fair working conditions for all and participated in the Los Angeles Teachers' Strike, documenting it in social media, as well as recent writers' and actors' strikes. He engaged in eloquent online debates on ethics and politics. He also loved animals, especially his cat, Zara.
James had many friends from numerous walks of life, and he kept in touch with his friends for life. James was preceded in death by his mother, Jane Cary Schendel, and his father, James Walter Schendel. He is survived by sister Karen [Schendel] Uehling (Jon) and sister Elizabeth Schendel, his niece Jessie Uehling (Nick Ciufo), and nephew Mycah Uehling (Hester Dang), and grandnephew Cooper Ciufo.
A Celebration of Life service is planned. To honor James's memory, please consider a donation to the Screen Actors Guild "sagaftra.foundation", the Humane Society, or a nonprofit of your choice.