Obituary of Frances Jane Schneider

With sadness and recognition of a fulfilling and adventurous life, we share the passing of Frances Jane Schneider on Tuesday, August 4, 2026.  She was 96. 

Daughter of Jemima and Ervin Cressman and sister of Mark and Graham, Jane grew up attending Stirling Avenue Mennonite Church in Kitchener.  Her love of children led her to become a Kindergarten teacher.  After meeting her husband Fred Schneider on a Victoria Park skating date, she “retired” to begin teaching and nurturing a growing family.

Somehow Jane and Fred managed exciting family cottage summers on a Georgian Bay island (no telephone!), ski forays to Chicopee Ski Hill (endless ski boot tying – no buckles!) and bigger mountains, east and west, and also adventurous southern vacations.

From lessons for us kids to concerts, music was so important to Jane, who along with Fred rarely missed performances of the K-W Symphony Orchestra.  And she loved nature, which extended from amazing flower and vegetable gardens to their surrounding property, where she and Fred established an extensive system of cross-country ski and hiking trails.  Jane skied and hiked these trails into her 90’s, and explored them by ATV until a week before she died.  The forests, hills, flowers and fields there are infused with the spirit of Jane and Fred, who passed away in 2011. 

Their wish to share and protect this land led to them donating it to rare Charitable Research Reserve so it can now be accessed publicly as Schneider’s Woods. 

Jane also campaigned tirelessly to successfully establish a larger Environmentally Sensitive Landscape, conserving farm and natural land on the border of the city of Waterloo. 

And Jane loved her family.  Her initial “class” of us kids: Peter, Dan, Anne, Peggy and Tom, has grown to include spouses (Sandhya, Rhona, Fabrizio, Gareth and Susan); grandchildren (Matthew, Andrew, Kiera, Sophie, Corin, Mara, Adam, Frances, Katie, Aidan and Ella); and great grandchildren (Rose, Eli, Amelia, Montie and Joelle).  

We will all miss her so much.                                                         

A private family service will be held at a later date. To leave condolences for the family please visit www.erbgood.com. 

As an expression of sympathy, the family would appreciate donations to charities that were close to Jane's Heart, rare Charitable Research Reserve or Waterloo Region Community Foundation with donations being directed to The F. P. Schneider Memorial Fund.

To make an online donation to The F. P. Schneider Memorial Fund under $5,000, please use the form below. For donations of $5,000 or more, or if you would prefer to donate offline (e-transfer, cheque, phone, etc.), please visit our page about other ways to give.

If you would like to learn more about The F. P. Schneider Memorial Fund, please contact WRCF at 519-725-1806 or philanthropy@wrcf.ca.