Gerald Philip Schneider's Obituary
Gerald Schneider, also known as Jerry to most of us, was born on September 21, 1941, in Wilmette, IL, to hard-working parents, and sadly passed away on the evening of Sunday, July 12th. At an early age, the family, including a brother Donald, moved from Chicago to Round Lake Beach, Illinois. Gerald is survived by his son Gary, daughter Sheri (Chris Chaja), and granddaughter Hanna.
In high school, Jerry was a member of many sports teams, including football and track. He graduated from Stout State College in Menomonie, Wisconsin, where he was #44 on the football team. Later, he received his master’s degree from Northern Illinois University. He met his beloved wife, Mary Hamilton, at age 17, was married at 21, and celebrated life together every day for the next 57 years, before her passing in 2019. His devotion in life was to her and their two children, and he referred to his granddaughter as his greatest gift in life, watching her grow into a beautiful young woman.
Jerry initially worked at Dundee High School and then with East Leyden High School in Franklin Park, Illinois, where he was a beloved and longtime industrial technology teacher and football and basketball coach. He taught at the school for over 25 years, helping lead East Leyden into the computer-aided drafting era. He loved working at East Leyden, considered his colleagues his “Leyden Family”, continued to speak of many of his students and athletes by name throughout his life, and was so proud to be an Eagle!
In the summertime, he worked for Schaumburg Park District managing the summer pools as the community continued to grow: Civic, Atcher, and Meineke pools. Many lifeguards became like family to him, and their names and memories continued to make him smile with great fondness throughout his life. In the early 1970s, he helped develop and coached the Schaumburg Park District swimming team, where his love of swimming was carried over into his children being part of the team, too.
In the late 1970s, he built his own home by hand, as his father had done before, with only the helping hands of his wife, children, and a few friends. Here, he spent every summer for the next 47 years, on the Namekagon River in the north woods of Trego, Wisconsin. He would rise each day with his wife to hear the birds chirping, see the deer eating his Hostas, wild turkeys strolling through the yard, or an occasional black bear on his deck. Many evenings they would sit on the deck swing and watch another beautiful sunset drop below the tree line and sink into the river with a fire-like glow. This was his happy place along with his wife. Here, he taught his children the simple life was the most fulfilling – playing in the river, chasing chipmunks, and fishing well past dark, and later the best of those times with his granddaughter.
He spent the last 10 winters of his life in Clearwater, Florida, surrounded by amazing neighbors and new friends. He continued his love of sports with the Bowling Club, Cornhole Club, and also was part of the Travel Club.
He consoled and advised, encouraged decision-making in all his work, shared his unforgettable laugh, and was consistently the most optimistic man. He was a special treasure, an amazing man and friend, most devoted husband, a Dad who will be missed every day, and the best Papa in the entire world.
A funeral mass will be held at Lady of the Lourdes Catholic Church in Dunedin, Florida, on Friday, July 17th, 2026, at 11:00 AM.
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