Dorothy Arlene (Gehringer) Schneider passed away peacefully on October 28, 2024, supported in her final days by family. She was born December 8, 1935 in Lenhartsville, PA to Charles and Arlene Gehringer. Her parents were hard-working Pennsylvania Dutch dairy farmers and she grew up speaking English and the German dialect, Pennsylvania Dutch. She was married in Pennsylvania and moved to Ashland, Ohio, when her husband, Robert O. Schneider, Jr., got a job as a surveyor in Ashland, and eventually moved to Nankin, Ohio.
She is survived by her brother (Lee Gehringer), and was a devoted mother to her six children. She is survived by Marjorie Salada (Michael), Tammy Jackson (Curt), Robert C. Schneider, Andrew Schneider (Dannene), and Joy Baltaxe (David), and was preceded in death by her daughter Dorothy C. Schneider.
She is also survived by her husband, Robert O. Schneider, Jr., with whom she celebrated her 66th wedding anniversary last June and was a devoted wife, sharing her life and raising a family together.
Dorothy was a grandmother to eight grandchildren and was blessed with two great-grandchildren in recent years. She was also “mother” to two Japanese exchange students and landlord to numerous Ashland University students. She was an avid photographer, documenting her family and her travels, and a prolific letter-writer, keeping in touch with her kids with weekly updates in beautiful and precise handwriting, and sending her grandchildren postcards and birthday cards.
She was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church for a half century, where she was active and could often be seen sitting in the front row with her children for weekly services. She volunteered both at church and in the community, including stints with the local chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness and Big Brothers/Big Sisters, where she enjoyed the companionship of her “Little Sisters.” Prior to that, while her kids were in school, she was an active parent supporting her children and the Mapleton School District through PTA, bake sales and carpools.
Through her husband’s military service and retirement, she was able to travel the world and enjoyed many travel adventures and exploring different cultures. She traveled most of the United States, including many trips to Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and Guam, and she also visited Costa Rica, Thailand, England, France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Korea, and numerous Pacific and Caribbean islands. Among her two favorite destinations were Japan and Germany, both of which she visited multiple times. She stayed with longtime friends in Germany and enjoyed communicating in German through her Pennsylvania Dutch while in Bavaria.
An avid gardener, Dorothy grew almost every type of fruit and vegetable at one time or another, and made home-cooked meals for her family with food from the garden. Her raspberries, rhubarb, peaches and apples all made their way into her famous pies.
Earlier in her life, she worked as a nurse’s aide at Brethren Care, and in her final years, she received excellent care as a resident of Brethren Village, and the family would like to extend their heartfelt appreciation for the staff of Brethren Village.
Funeral services will be held on Monday, November 4, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. in the Trinity Lutheran Church with Reverend Kevin McClain presiding. She will be laid to rest in Nankin Cemetery alongside her daughter and across the street from the home where she raised her children. Friends and family may visit on Monday from 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at the church.
For those unable to attend, online condolences may be shared on the funeral home’s website at denbowhfh.com.
Denbow-Gasche Funeral Home & Crematory is handling the arrangements.
Funeral Home: Denbow-Gasche Funeral Home
Website: denbowfh.com