Mary Roberta Schneider

Mary was born in Breese, Illinois and her family later moved to Oregon so she could become one of the first recipients of an artificial heart valve at OHSU. Mary endured many medical mysteries through her life and contributed greatly to the advancement of medical science. While Mary spent much of her time in and out of hospitals, that did not stop her from living her life to the fullest.

We were blessed to have learned many valuable lessons from Mary during her 67 years on this earth. The first is to love. She loved each and every person she met with all of her heart. The second is to walk through life with humor. Her humor was unmatched. The third was to smile no matter what is going on in life. Her smile was contagious.

Mary was an avid card-maker and scrap-booker. She was a dedicated homemaker, a loving wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, sister, and friend. She is survived by her husband, Allan; her sons, Benjamin and Nicholas; her daughters, Jenifer and Amy; her brother, Jim; their spouses, 20 grandchildren, and 4 great grandchildren. She is preceded by her father, Cecil; her mother, Hazel; and her sisters, Paula and Dola. Her family and friends will forever miss her dearly, but we are blessed to have been in her life.

If you wish to make a contribution or donation please make it to the Doernbecher Children’s Hospital, as this was an organization Mary cared deeply for.

Our Woods
The spirit whispers through her
“enjoy me, this moment, this time”
her hair dances for me
in the autumn it will fall
her bones creak and ache
is she in pain?
sticks, stout and study
swaying, humming, breathing, beating
He watches her, cares for her
only man does her harm
hues of green and brown
arms stretching forever
head high in the clouds
feet planted deep
laying her own carpet
of comfort
peace, tranquil
By, Mary Schneider

Fond Memories of Mary Schneider

“There were so many sweet moments I got to share with Mom. She was always there to celebrate and cheer her family and friends on. She was there for every game, birth, birthday, fundraiser, and major milestones of my children. My children loved having their “Manny” come out and stay with us. When I needed her, she was always there to help with an eager smile on her face. One memory that stands out the most was in high school. I guess you could say I had an attendance problem. It was then decided by my parents that my mom would tag along with me to all my classes for a week. It was so embarrassing at the time. Especially since my friends and my mom seemed to rather enjoy it. She always loved a social occasion and she really, really lived it up.  On the first day, by the time lunch had rolled around I was DONE! I was so embarrassed I made us eat in the extreme privacy of the girl’s locker room. In the locker room there was a disgusting couch and that was where I had made us sit and eat our lunch. My mom ended up pulling out a lunch for herself and then a lunch for me. She ate as if she did not have a care in the world that I was forcing her to eat in privacy. I remember feeling such guilt as she brought out a lunch, she made just for me. It is not until as an adult I able to truly appreciate the level of strength my mom had. She never gave up on me or anyone. As imperfect as we both are, she loved me perfectly. Thank you, Mom, for never giving up on me and for your love.”

-Amy Perry

“Our Mother had the unique ability of including everyone while at the same time making each person feel special. A special memory of my mom that comes to my mind often is from 1996. It all started when I had to a have a dental procedure to extract a tooth that which was receding into my sinuses. When we parked at the dental office, I waited for my mom to the exit the vehicle and locked the car door behind her. To my advantage our family car at the time did not have power anything. After a good span of time mom gave into my demands to negotiate a deal to get me out of the car. I thought I had the upper hand in the negotiation and decided to start with a lofty offer. We closed the deal on a Nintendo gamming system, but when we arrived at the store, she taught me a valuable lesson. Approaching the register mom hands me an envelope of cash with, “Nick” written on it. Pausing for a second, I realized the money she gave me was my money I had saved over some period of time. I immediately learned that nothing is owed to me just because I endure something unpleasant. Also, I learned mom is always just a step ahead of whatever mischiefs we could get ourselves into.  Mom was the eternal optimist of the family and supported her friends, family, grandchildren, and great grandchildren in all their endeavor’s. Her sense of humor could lighten the darkest of moods as well as contribute to countless laughs over the years. I am thankful to have had such a beautiful person as my mother and she will be missed by all of us.”

-Nicholas Schneider