Ina Louise Schnell

Ina Louise Schnell Sarasota - Schnell - Ina Louise. A resident of Sarasota, FL, formerly of New York City and Tyringham, MA, died March 29, 2023 in Sarasota. She was born in 1930 in Greenwich, CT, and raised in Stamford, CT, where she attended the Cherry Lawn School in nearby Darien, CT, as a day student. After earning a degree in history from Skidmore College, she joined the training program at Bonwit Teller, where she worked as a buyer for the next twelve years. Many years later, she earned a master's degree in urban affairs and policy analysis from the the New School for Social Research in New York City.

Throughout her life Ina volunteered at many civic and cultural institutions. She served on the board of Citizens' Committee for Children in New York City. In The Berkshires, she was a member of the boards of Shakespeare & Company, Hancock Shaker Village, and the Berkshire Botanical Garden. In Sarasota, she served on the board of The Ringling Museum of Art and was a founding member of the Foundation for Sarasota County Public Libraries.

She was the widow of Eugene A. Schnell and the life partner of the late Dr. Arthur Ancowitz.

Ina is survived by her son Eric and stepdaughter Vicki, her brother Lee and his wife Judy, her niece Alison and nephew Jon, their spouses and children, the extended Schnell family and many cousins.

Services in Sarasota were private.

Donations in her memory may be made to either Florida Studio Theatre Write A Play or The Library Foundation for Sarasota County.