Sandra Marx Schneider

Sandra Marx Schneider was born on February 16th, 1937 in Detroit, Michigan. She was the second of four children born to Oscar B. Marx, Jr. and Madge K. Marx. Sandy spent her early years in Detroit and the Pittsburgh area. In 1948 the family moved to Grosse Pointe, MI, where she graduated from high school. She attended Northwestern University then transferred to the University of Michigan, where she met her future husband, Raymond J. Schneider. After receiving her Bachelor of Arts with Distinction from the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, Sandy took a position as a commercial film editor at WWJ-TV in Detroit.

Ray and Sandy were married at Jefferson Avenue Presbyterian Church in Detroit, and moved to Ann Arbor, where Ray was working toward his PhD. Soon after Chris was born, the couple moved to Charleston, Illinois where Ray began his teaching career at Eastern Illinois University. Mark and Kevin were born in Charleston, and Ray's career took the growing family on to Bridgeport, Connecticut. Sandy enjoyed an idyllic setting there on a quiet cul-de-sac, where she walked her kids to school, taught them how to skate on a local pond, and added another son Scot to the family.

When Ray was offered a full professorship track at the University of South Florida in 1968, Sandy left her beloved home in the North, with its four magical seasons for the sweltering swamps of the South. Her four boys were enthralled by the snakes that now greeted Sandy's dinner guests, and they loved the alligators cruising down the Hillsborough River that sometimes napped in her backyard.

Sandy survived what must have seemed like the Heart of Darkness, and earned her Master of Arts in Linguistics from the University of South Florida in 1974. She went on to direct the International Linguistics Institute in Tampa. She also worked in administration at a private school for children with special needs and managed the educational video departments at the USF College of Medicine and St. Joseph's Hospital.

In 1983 Ray and Sandy took Scot for a yearlong sabbatical abroad to teach and study in London, England. Sandy loved all things British, and shared that love with her son. She traveled throughout the continent attending theater, soaking in the art, and reveling in European culture. After they returned to Florida, Sandy started work as a production manager and editor at Psychological Assessment Resources, a local publishing company. She remained employed there even after Ray's retirement in 1999, working remotely after they moved to Apex, North Carolina in 2002 to be near their grandchildren.

Sandy fought for many causes throughout her life, supporting equality, diversity, and social justice. She devoted her life to the arts and education, teaching in a variety of settings. An actress in her own right, Sandy would play Mehitabel the alleycat to Ray's cockroach Archy, to the joy of all who saw them. She was always a silent partner behind countless productions staged by her husband over the years.

Sandy was a member of First United Methodist Church, a centering prayer group, and two separate book clubs after moving to North Carolina. She also brought life to her beautiful gardens in both Temple Terrace and Apex. Throughout her life, Sandy always nurtured those around her. She protected her family selflessly, choosing to pass in hospice on her own terms, surrounded by all four of her loving boys and their families this week in Cary, NC.

Sandy is survived by her three siblings: Pat Keyser, Oscar B. Marx III, and Barbara Abnet, and by her four sons: Christopher Sheldon (married to Cindy Branscum) of Nevada City, CA; Mark Lawrence (married to Ellen Caylor) of Raleigh and grandsons Michael of Roanoke, VA and Daniel of Raleigh; Kevin Michael (married to Susan Anderson) and grandchildren Dylan and Katelyn of Cary; and Scot Evan of San Francisco.

Sandy requested a cremation with no memorial or service. Her ashes will be spread from a mountaintop by her four sons. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Susan G. Komen Organization, 13770 Noel Road, Suite 801889, Dallas, TX 75380, in memory of Sandra Schneider.