This is the Schneider-Farris Family's Blog. Keep up with what we are doing by logging into this site regularly! (The reason this site is called "Tragedy and Triumph" is that when I first founded this site, my husband, Dan, had been in a horrible accident, and he recovered. His recovery was a miracle! Go back to the 2005 archives to read our story.)

Monday, January 31, 2011

Memorial Service Information for My Mom - Edith Kadison Schneider



Edith Kadison Schneider's (my mom) memorial service will be this Thursday February 3, 2011.

11:00 AM
Olinger Andrews Caldwell Gibson Chapel
(303) 688-3191
407 Jerry Street, Castle Rock, Colorado 80104.

A reception will follow at the Schneider family's home in Larkspur, Colorado.

All are welcome.

In Lieu of Flowers...my dad has asked that gifts be sent to to either US Figure Skating's Memorial Fund or to the Rosalind Franklin University of Health Sciences/Chicago Medical School where he is on the faculty.

A second memorial service will be held in Long Beach, California on Monday, February 7, 2011. Details to follow.


Saturday, January 29, 2011

My Mom, Edith Kadison Schneider, Died Today 1-29-11



Many of our family and friends have known for awhile that my mom, Edith Kadison Schneider, has been very, very ill.

My mom died early (at about 6:00 AM) this morning 1-29-11. Please keep my family and especially my father, Dr. Arthur Schneider, in your thoughts and prayers.

There will be a service in Colorado and also one in Long Beach, California in the coming week.

------------------------

My dad wrote the following this morning to the staff at the Chicago Medical School, where he is on the faculty:

    'I got a call early this morning, my wife Edie (Edith K. Schneider) died quietly this morning. Many of you know that she has been quite ill since early September, and her passing was not unexpected.

    The most wonderful thing that ever hapened to me was having her with me since we first met in 1948. We met on a "blind date" while we were both undergraduates at UCLA. The next morning, she called me and asked if I could help her with a car problem. We have never been apart since then.

    On the practical side, she will be transported from here to Colorado where we will have a service by the gazebo of our home in Larkspur, Colorado. It is very beautiful there. Two of our children and their families live nearby. Following that she will be transferred to Forest Lawn in Long Beach, California where we will have a second service. Our youngest daughter and her family live near there. Long Beach and Colorado are our "real" homes. So in a sense, she will be returning home.'













Sunday, January 23, 2011

Annabelle and Rebekah Go Snowshoeing! 1-23-11

The girls went snowshoeing with their scout group today, 1-23-11. They look so happy in this photo, but they told me it was freezing!

Annabelle Is a Star on US Figure Skating Brochures 2011!

One day in about 2005, Annabelle and I went to the rink. She was wearing a little purple fleece jacket that I covered with skating badges. She got her picture taken a few times that day. Little did I know that years later, those photos would be used for US Figure Skating's brochures and magazines! How cook is that?



Monday, January 17, 2011

Martin Luther Day Weekend 2011 (1-15 to 1-17-11)



Our family had the best holiday weekend! Saturday wasn't really a holiday for us, since Dan worked, Jo Ann taught skating and did quite a bit of writing, and Annabelle also skated, but on Sunday and Monday we went skiing and played in the snow!

Rebekah spent Saturday night and most of Sunday with her friend, Cassie, since the girls went to birthday party, so she didn't get to ski with us in Monarch, but joined us on Monday for some playing in the snow.

We especially love going to Ski Cooper, but couldn't to there due to bad weather, so we went to Monarch.

Whenever we ski, we are refreshed and rejuvenated. There is something wonderful and healing about being together in the Colorado outdoors. Dan can't ski due to the horrible accident he was in in 2005, but he can snowshoe.

We did think of our friend Haley Gans (who died on November 20, 2009) in a skiing accident in Breckenridge. Her memory will always be with us, especially when we go skiing.

We also had a great time just playing in the snow.

Our entire family thought about how wonderful it is that Martin LuthAdd Imageer King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement made it possible for the United States to be a place of equal opportunity. There once was a time when figure skating clubs would not allow African Americans, Jews, Asians, or people from other minorities to join. There once was a time when schools were segregated. The world has certainly changed.

Happy Martin Luther King Day!













Sunday, January 09, 2011

My Sister, Lynnellen, Is the Grandmother of Twins!

My sister, Lynnellen, is now a grandmother! Her son, Cody Saint Marie, is now the father of twins, a girl and a boy!

The twins were born on January 7, 2011 at 6:00 PM.

Info on the girl is:
Name: London Ann Le Morte Sainte Marie
Weight 5 lb 9 oz
In the pictures, she's the one with more hair and dressed in pink

Info on the boy is:
Name: Gage Ryden Le Morte Sainte Marie
Weight 6 lb 13 oz

Proud parents: Dakota (Cody) Sainte Marie and Tiffany Le Morte

This means that I'm a great-aunt and Billy is a great-uncle and that my parents are now great-grandparents!








Saturday, January 01, 2011

Remembering 2010 and Happy 2011

Today is January 1, 2011. It's 1-1-11. Wow...it's hard to believe we have reached that date!

The past year went so fast, but it seems like the past decade has also flown by. I remember when people were wondering if the world would end in in 2000. The world is still here and it is 2011...

My youngest child, Annabelle, was born in 1999 and she only really remembers this past decade.

Anyway...enough of my rambling...


I will never forget 2010 because About.com sent me to the Winter Olympics as their sole media representative. Annabelle went with me. Going to the Olympics as a member of the media made me feel like I made the Olympics. It was an experience I will never forget.

Sadly, right in the middle of the men's long program, my husband's father, John Farris, died. While I was in Vancouver, Dan flew out to Long Beach to be with his father during his last days. It almost seemed like the two of us were in different realities during that time.

Other people we have known for many years who died in 2010 include Moishe Rosen and Annie Johnson.

I flew to Seattle before the Olympics and got to spend time with my cousin, Cherie Kadison Jay. Cherie became a grandmother a week or two after I left. Baby Lexie is the daughter of Cherie's son, Josh.



As usual, skating took up most of our time in 2010.

The things we'll remember most about skating in 2010 is that ALL THREE Schneider-Farris kids skated and competed in Midwesterns and at Junior Nationals. THAT is an achievement in itself. Annabelle also won the test-track Juvenile event at regionals.


























We did some traveling too. During the summer, the kids and I went to Washington DC and Maryland to attend the Wheaton Ice Skating Academy Ice Dance Camp. We got to see the fireworks IN Washington DC ON the 4th of July!



We went to Long Beach and had a wonderful beach vacation in August. Dan had a great time visiting his family during that time. During that vacation, we got to see my dad's brother, Bobby, who we had not seen in about 15 years.


Another highlight was getting to attend the 2010 Synchronized World Figure Skating Championships which took place right in Colorado Springs. I also went to the Professional Skaters Association (PSA) Convention which was in Colorado Springs.

Also, both Annabelle and Rebekah went to Camp Ramah Outdoor Adventure.


My mother is very ill right now. She became very ill in early September of 2010. Our family didn't think she'd make it until 2011, but at this time, she's hanging in there. I went to visit her in Illinois during late December of 2010 and spent some quality time with her and my dad.



Other news is that my sister Lynnellen is about to become the grandmother! Lynnellen's son, Cody, will be the father of twins (a boy and girl). The babies are due any day now.

The kids and I made an commitment to take part in everything Mountain Vista Homeschool Academy offered this school year. That commitment has made them very busy. Through the school, they took part in the Parade of Lights Parade, were in a recital at the Colorado Springs Conservatory, and were part of the school's drama club presentation. They learned Taekwondo, Kung Fu, fencing, and baton. Joel said learning about the Holocaust at school was difficult, but he is glad he's had that opportunity. They kids got to make some great art projects in their art class. There is so much going on with their school, that the children's lives are so very busy and full. Although they are homeschooled, they are the busiest kids in the world in my opinion!


Some other "kind of neat things" are that thanks to Facebook, I've reunited with many friends from my past in 2010 including Bernadette McEwan (who I last saw the day I graduated from Junior High), Erin Madison (who was one of my best friends the first half of 8th grade I recall), Lenny Shaw (who went to elementary school with me starting in about 3rd grade), and Barbi Smith (who everyone in the figure skating world is so glad to find!).

I've reunited with many other people. In fact, my list of Facebook friends has grown to over 1100. Many of my Facebook friends are figure skaters. Skating just connects people. I love it!

Facebook has really made life fun in my opinion. Now I don't have to wait to December to receive holiday cards telling me what is happening in people's lives. It's great!


We wish all of our friends who read this a great 2011.


Happy New Year and Happy 2011!

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Jo Ann Schneider Farris has participated in skating for most of her life as a competitor, coach, and author.

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