Linda Schneider

It is with bittersweet sadness and joy that we announce the passing of our beloved Linda W. Schneider, who left us Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021. Sadness because she will be missed for the love, comfort and stability she brought to everyone in her world. Joy because she joins her beloved husband of 52 years, Philip K. Schneider, who preceded her in 2014. Linda was 80. Linda was born into a modest Whitewright, Texas, family to Imogene White (Nelms) and William Oscar White. As a youngster with a winning smile, she grabbed life at every opportunity. A popular presence at W.H. Adamson High in Oak Cliff, TX, Linda was a cheerleader, vice president of the Quill & Scroll Club, editor of The Oak Yearbook, and a member of student council. During her underclassman years, she was voted most popular. Forever shaped by her hard-working mother, Imogene, Linda didn't let up. After high school, she attended North Texas State University in Denton, TX, seeking a liberal arts degree. There she met the love of her life - a young, handsome man just out of the Navy also attending North Texas State - Philip Schneider. Her course changed. She and Phil married July 14,1962 and began building their family. In all, they would have three children, Kurt, Andrea and Rachel. They lived in the Dallas area until 1977, when the family packed up everything and moved to the rough-and-tumble Southwest. Phil was a dreamer who wanted a quiet place away from the social unrest that was ubiquitous in 1970s Dallas. They found that in Las Cruces, NM. The move to a much smaller town was a difficult adjustment for Linda, who had always lived with city creature comforts close by. But she stood alongside her man in their new frontier and made the best of it. That was her style. The two went to work developing organized soccer in Las Cruces. Linda coached several youth soccer teams while Phil built the organizational structure. Meanwhile, demands at home grew as their children entered middle and high school, each with their own brand of teenage mischief. While raising three teenagers, Linda set out to finish her college degree, graduating from New Mexico State University in 1982 with a bachelor's degree in education. She subsequently taught at Chaparral Elementary School, San Miguel Elementary School and Zia Middle School until she retired in 2002. Along the way, she and her family built a successful Mesilla restaurant. She was often the taster-in-chief for new recipes and had the final word on the ever-famous Andele Pecan Pie. But while successes grew, Linda and Phil maintained the most modest of existences. They preferred simple pleasures. After Phil passed in 2014, Linda's life became more solitary, if not reflective. But this was when the richness of what she and Phil had built began to show. Just before Phil passed, he told his kids to "take care of your mom." And they did just that. While her son and daughter-in-law raised their beloved grandchildren in El Paso, Linda's daughters became her girlfriends. "Hey Girl," was their greeting. On any given evening, Linda held court with Andrea and Rachel. They shared stories of the day and memories. Linda hung on to every syllable, processing each through her deep filter. She shared memories of the dreams Phil pursued. When it seemed there was nothing left to say on a matter, she offered a "mother's word" that often cut to the heart of a problem or launched a group laugh. Linda guarded her unconditional love for each of her babies. When one stomped in complaining about the other, she agreed when it was fair and defended when necessary. Each was so different - Kurt the deliberate one. Andrea the impetuous one and Rachel the reasoned one. She saw the best in all of them, but not without memories of the challenges each, growing up, had brought to Phil and her - memories she cherished and was not afraid to bring up. In her last three years, Linda's immobility made living alone impossible. For much of the first year, she tried an assisted living facility. When the pandemic made access to her restricted, Andrea, Rachel and Kurt made the choice to move her into one of their homes. But which one?

Linda chose the Impetuous One. Her second-born child, whose impulsive nature had caused many days and nights of parental worry during younger years, was the one who doted on her and made her laugh. And she wanted to laugh - a lot. So, Linda's Court resumed from Andrea's Mesilla home. Again, on any given evening, the three were found together - laughing, fighting, draped over mom's bed, rubbing lotion on her, discussing events of the day, watching a Cowboys game or a sappy romantic movie. And then there were the Big Days when her beloved grandchildren came. These visits were the subject of much preparation and buzz. The littlest Schneiders, Kurt Jr. and Maria, had reached the point of both physical and intellectual growth. And in Linda's final months, she saw how they bloomed - Kurt Jr. in soccer and Maria in academics. The glow of these visits sustained Linda. Amid the clatter of caregivers and family coming and going emerged one of Linda and Phil's greatest lessons. There is the family you're born with, but there is also the one you make. Those final months saw impromptu visits from everyone who had come to know and love the Schneiders. From every walk and corner. To name only a few, Jordan and little LoLa Bean were regulars, helping with care and telling Linda about LoLa's pre-school adventures. Kirstie came for pedicures and hairdos. Neighbor Cecilia brought jewelry to festoon Linda in the style she loved. Not to be outdone, the men - Manny and Arturo - walked over from the nearby family restaurant to lift Linda into her wheelchair and escort her through the open Mesilla air. Linda's extended family and friends are a testament to the simple but elegant truth taught by example - love transcends all that is different in each of us and home is where your family is. In the morning sunlight as a gentle rain nourished the ground, Linda slipped away in Andrea's arms - the final brush stroke to a masterpiece that was her life. In the same light, her children gathered to share a moment with their remarkable mother. Her peaceful face was before them in the bedroom where so much of their lives were catalogued through stories and laughter during those final months. It was the simple silhouette of a mother with her three babies, forever connected by the beautiful life she made for them. The family extends its gratitude to Linda's loving caregivers, Socorro, Teresa, Eloisa and Mary. These women became Linda's loyal watchdogs and forever friends. Linda is preceded in death by her brother, Thomas K. White; her mother, Imogene White; and her husband, Philip Schneider. She is survived by her children, Philip Kurt Schneider, Jr. (Karel), of El Paso; Andrea Schneider of Mesilla; Rachel Schneider (Keith Whelpley) of Las Cruces; and grandchildren Kurt Schneider and Maria Schneider.

A memorial service will be held Monday, October 18, 2021, at 3 p.m. at Getz Funeral Home Chapel. A celebration of Linda's life will take place afterward at Hacienda de Mesilla.

Service Details.
Service When
Monday, October 18, 2021 3:00pm
Location
Getz Funeral Home Chapel
Address
1410 E. Bowman Ave
Las Cruces, New Mexico 88001