Joan M. Schnieder's Obituary
Joan Magdalen Biechler Schneider, 92, of San Angelo, TX, formerly of Decatur, IL and Dubuque, IA, died on Feb. 3, 2016 in San Angelo.
Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at 3 pm on Tues., Feb. 9, at Holy Family Catholic Church in Decatur, with burial immediately following in Mt. Gilead Cemetery. Friends may call from 6 to 8 pm on Mon., Feb. 8, at Moran & Goebel Funeral Home, located at 2801 N. Monroe St. A prayer service will begin at 7 pm.
Joan was born Dec. 30, 1923 in Dubuque, IA, daughter of Herbert and Lorraine (Hantelmann) Biechler. She married Joseph T. (Joe) Schneider, also of Dubuque, on Aug. 23, 1948. Joan attended Clarke College in Dubuque and graduated summa cum laude with a double major in Mathematics and English Literature in 1946. She then attended the University of Wisconsin in Madison, earning an MA in English in 1948, where she also graduated summa cum laude.
Shortly after their marriage in Dubuque in 1948, Joe and Joan moved to Decatur, where they spent the rest of their married life until Joe’s death in July 2000. Together they raised 6 children, all of whom attended Holy Family Grade School and St. Teresa High School. A good, Catholic education meant the world to Joan, and she saw to it that her children had every educational opportunity that she and Joe could provide. Joe and Joan were founding members of Holy Family Parish, where she volunteered there for many years as editor of the church’s Our Voice magazine, as well as leader of the Sacristans youth group.
Joan was also active in Macon County 4-H for over 35 years, serving first as a club leader and then a county fair superintendent until the late 1990s. For many years she worked as a homebound tutor for the Decatur Public School District. After retirement in 1986, Joan volunteered as a Math and English teacher for Project Read. She and Joe especially enjoyed travelling in their retirement years, visiting grandchildren in Texas, Washington state, New York and Virginia.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Herbert and Lorraine Biechler, husband Joe Schneider and daughter Christine DiTerlizzi. She is survived by her children, Karen and husband Dan Coates, Jane Schneider, Susanne and husband Scott Soifer, Tom Schneider, and Amy Schneider and partner Wayne Patterson. She is also survived by grandchildren Nicholas DiTerlizzi; Kaela and Josh Schneider; Sarah and Jeffery Coates; Jake and Kate Soifer; Justin and Sam Schneider; and Hailey, Eros and Tia Patterson.
The family of Joan Magdalen Biechler Schneider is being served by Moran & Goebel Funeral Home and Cremation Services, 2801 N. Monroe Street, Decatur, IL. View the online obituary, send condolences, and share memories to the family at www.moranandgoebel.com.
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