Alice Louise Schneider of Southampton and Shelter Island died in Gloucester, Massachusetts, on June 7, after a brief illness. She was 87.
Born in Astoria, Queens, on September 1, 1928, she was the sixth of seven children of Frederick Schneider and the former Elsa Kruger. Her parents were descendants of the founding families of Lindenhurst. Ms. Schneider attended P.S. 70 in Astoria until 1937, when her family moved to Jamaica Estates, and then graduated from Jamaica High and Packer Collegiate Institute in Brooklyn.
She worked more than 30 years for Standard Oil (later Exxon) as an administrator in its Manhattan headquarters, first in shareholder relations, then in the law department and in public affairs. An enthusiastic world traveler, she became the first woman to be sent on foreign assignment for the firm when she helped to relocate the Esso East division to Hong Kong.
In 1983, she opted for early retirement and moved with three of her siblings to the East End, changing to a lifestyle with more emphasis on the outdoors. She enjoyed biking, walking, golf and canoeing, and tried to swim as many days as possible from late May until early October.
An avid volunteer and community activist, Ms. Schneider was a member of the Women’s Republican Club and the Southampton Study Club. She volunteered for the American Cancer Society, assisted in the founding of the Southampton Artists Association, and served on the board of the Combined Veterans Organizations, helping to raise funds for the Fourth of July parade. As Shelter Island’s Crescent Beach became more thronged with visitors each year, she and her brother Hank worked to ensure that residents would have 24/7 parking spaces. Ms. Schneider attended the Hamptons United Methodist Church in Southampton and was a trustee of the Union Chapel in the Grove on Shelter Island.
In addition to her community activities, she was the main caregiver for four of her siblings in their final years.
Ms. Schneider was predeceased by three brothers, Fred, Hank and Ralph; and three sisters, Helen, Mildred, and Ruth. She is survived by three nieces, Jean Curcuru and husband Anthony, and Janet Young and husband Tony Hilliard, and Diane Young, all of Massachusetts; a great-nephew, Gregory Moses and his children Savanna and Tariq; a great-niece, Stephanie Blanchard, husband Joe, and daughter Adelina, all of Massachusetts; and several cousins.
Visiting was at the Brockett Funeral Home in Southampton on June 13. Burial was at Pinelawn Memorial Park.
Memorial donations may be made to Rogers Memorial Library, 91 Coopers Farm Road, Southampton, NY 11968.
on Jun 13, 2016