Thomas E Schneider

Tom was the youngest of three boys. His parents, Jim and Berniece, raised him in Memphis, Tennessee, and Magnolia, Arkansas, with the patience, love, and experience of well-tested parents. At 18, he decided to join the Navy, and ended up serving on the first and ultimately most decorated nuclear submarine in US Naval history. While on leave one weekend, he met the great and eternal love of his life in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Many letters and long drives later, he was lucky enough to marry her, and his life began again. He worked and went to college wherever he lived as he and his young wife chased their dreams around the country, until, in the late 80s, they landed in Jacksonville, Florida, with a toddler, a kindergartener, and a very smart dog. And although as a child, he wanted to be a detective, a baseball player, a fireman, a lawyer, or a teacher, he ended up working in computer and software sales, and he was very good at it. Ultimately, he earned a business degree from Jacksonville University, and then discovered his new millennium career in the mid-90s as a Systems Integration Executive with Bank of America. He was a well-credentialed and highly sought after consultant until he finally retired in August of 2023.

Tom also loved to travel and was fortunate to visit places like Bali, Portugal, France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Bolivia, Peru, Jamaica, Netherlands, Canada, and, closer to home, all of his favorite parks and cities—like Boone, Boise, and Dunbar. He enjoyed football, tailgating, skiing, hiking, whitewater rafting, kayaking, fishing, the beach, County Dock, all music, especially polka (but with the single exception of disco), being on time, and passionately watching any of the many sports his children and grandchildren played over the last 40 years.

He believed faith, hope, and love were the secret ingredients to a good life, and he lived these virtues remarkably well. He was a devoted parishioner and an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion at St. Joseph Catholic Church, and he loved his church community deeply. He had or made new friends everywhere he went, from grocery stores to museums, and one of his greatest pleasures was to uplift or take care of other people in any way he could and with his whole being. He brought a smile, a joyful, loving energy, and powerful presence with him everywhere he went.

His parents, his mother-in-law, Genevieve, and his brother John passed before him, but Tom’s legacy and love lives on through and with his wife, Pam; his son, Jon, daughter-in-law, Catherine, and their three children, Amelia, Weston, and Hayden; his daughter, Lauren, her partner, Paul, and grandsons, Drew and Leon; his brother, Dan, sister-in-law, Joan, and their sons, Charles, Tom, and Jim; his father-in-law, Don; Pam’s sister, Cindy, and her husband, Carlos; and his many other family members and close friends.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to: Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers, P.O. Box 302, Maryknoll, NY 10545 Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers or Divine Mercy House, 4118 Loretto Road, Jacksonville, FL 32223 Divine Mercy House.

A visitation for Thomas will be held on Thursday, February 29, 2024 from 9:30 am to 11:00 am at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 11757 Old St Augustine Rd #2001, Jacksonville, FL 32258. A funeral mass will begin at 11:00 am. A committal service will follow the mass at St. Joseph Cemetery, 11730 Old St. Augustine Road, Jacksonville, FL 32258. The family will receive friends after the burial for a small reception at the Cody Center at St. Joseph Catholic Church.