Patricia Reed Schneider

Patricia Reed Schneider, 70, of Elmer passed away on March 7, 2023. Born in Woodbury, Patti was the daughter of Clinton & Marcella Crawford Reed. A graduate of Woodstown High School 1970, she married her high school sweetheart Lewis Schneider and they were married by the mayor in the Ann Dubois room at Richman’s Ice Cream. They honeymooned in Cooperstown New York. The two would have celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary in October. As a young Brownie and Girl Scout, Patti learned the value of public service. Thus began her lifelong love of serving and giving back. For twenty-five years, she served on the Elmer Board of Education where she was the President for a number of those years. In addition, she represented Elmer on the Pittsgrove Board of Education. Providing a phenomenal education to every student was always at the forefront of her mind. Patti spent time each month providing food, toiletries, and entertainment for the residents of Lakeside Manor. Her smile, listening ear, and laughter brought such joy to the residents. Special Olympics held a treasured place in Patti’s heart for over ten years where she could be found helping with the bowling and track & field events, as well as supporting the basket bingo fund raising events, Patti’s greatest love for serving was at Elmer United Methodist Church. As a devoted, God-fearing Christian, her heart’s desire was for others to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. She truly was the hands and feet of Jesus. Patti presided on the Board of Trustees at church, sang in the Senior Choir, acted in the Drama Ministry, and served as a Youth Leader. Patti co-founded the Soup Ministry where a group of soup makers prepare soup once a week to deliver to church members and townspeople who need a pick-me-up. Patti cooked and served the Rotary for many years. She worked tirelessly with Carla’s Kids Ministry. Each year Carla’s Kids provides Christmas gifts for children in South Jersey. These children are labeled "Homeless" by the State of New Jersey; they live in homeless shelters or temporary foster care because they have been removed from their homes, often due to abuse or neglect. These children desperately need to know that there is someone out there that loves them and Patti was there to love them. Patti began her professional career at Prudential in claims processing. She then became a programmer upon transferring to systems. She ended her career at Prudential as a systems planning analyst. Following her ten year career at Prudential, Patti and her husband founded WYZAC, LLC, a pageant production company. Patti was the co-founder and an integral part in the formation of National American Miss Pageants. National American Miss is a pageant for Today’s Girl – a place where girls can be empowered to be the best version of themselves. As part of the National American Miss core founding team, Patti encouraged young women across the country to set goals and dream big dreams. Her hope for each participant was to know that they were created for a special, unique purpose. Life skills of interviewing, resume writing, public speaking, basic poise and presentation, along with the importance of serving the community were taught to each contestant – skills that would last an entire lifetime, not just pageant weekend. National American Miss set the industry standard in serving families and offering life changing skills to each participant. Patti loved her work mentoring these young women. Beloved by so many whom she mentored, Patti was often considered a second mother to her staff and contestants. Patti directed pageants across the United States, including Alabama, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Virginia. Video Memories, another company founded by Patti and Lew forty years ago, has been filming pageant productions across the nation. In 1985 Patti and Lew went nine weeks without returning home criss-crossing the country with video work They have filmed and taken photos in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin, and Hawaii. Video memories is currently the official pageant photographer and videographer for the I Am Pageant Powerhouse which holds its annual event in Orlando, Florida. The I Am Pageant Powerhouse is the largest pageant system in the world, serving thousands of young women and their families around the world each year. The Powerhouse earned the honor of the best national and international pageant system several years in a row. Video Memories streams these events across the globe. Among her honors, Patti received the Woman of Achievement Award for Salem County. She was also awarded Who’s Who of American Women. Patti loved traveling. She visited each of the fifty states and several foreign countries. Her travels included multiple trips to Hawaii and even a drive down the Alaskan Highway. She and Lew attended the 1976 Olympics in Montreal for several days. They had the closest seats to the queen of England during a prelim of swimming but were stopped by Queen’s security as she tried to get a closer photo. Trips to NYC and a night at the theatre were among her favorites. One of Patti’s most pleasurable hobbies was reading; she even set up a free library outside her home for anyone to take a book to enjoy. Patti couldn’t wait for spring to decorate her front yard with glorious flowers, plants and birdhouses. She took great joy sitting on the front porch enjoying the garden, visiting, and eating “pick picks” with her family and friends. Oh how Patti loved meeting celebrities. Among the many celebrities she met were Pete Rose, Buddy Ebson, Paula Dean, Gallagher, Richard Kiel, Bobby Darin, Dennis Weaver, Tug McGraw, Sparky Anderson, Michelle Wie, Peter Jennings, Steven Spielberg, Karen Kingsbury, Sam Snead, Steve Carlton, Stephen Sondheim, former Miss USA’s Sarah Rose Summers and Nia Sanchez, former Miss America’s Kira Kazantsev and Camille Schrier, and personal friend actress Joy Suprano. The Alabama Crimson Tide stole Patti’s heart! She was an avid supporter of the Tide and even taught her granddaughters to say RRROOOLLL TTTIIIDDDEEE! She attended Alabama versus University of Texas at Austin in 2022 which was the largest crowd ever. In a prior year she also attended Alabama versus Texas A&M in College Station which was the highest decibel level ever recorded at the stadium. On game day Patti donned her Alabama shirts, necklaces, hats and blankets. She would text for hours during college football games about good plays with her Texas friend Kathleen Mayes. Highlights were when University Texas or Alabama were playing. She knew every player and could be heard cheering them on loudly each game day. Her favorite Alabama player, quarterback Jalen Hurts, now plays for her favorite NFL team, the Philadelphia Eagles. Patti studied the Word of God diligently. She yearned to know Him deeply and share Him daily. Throughout her adult life, she participated in and led numerous Bible studies. His Word was indeed hidden in her heart. Patti will be greatly missed by her family and friends. She was loved by so many and admired for her strong faith, giving heart and devotion to others. Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into His rest. She is survived by her husband of nearly fifty years, Lewis M. Schneider; two sons, Zachary and his wife Alkmini and Wyatt and his wife Allison; and their children, Anna, Zoe and Vivienne as well as two brothers, James and Lewis Reed. In addition to her parents, Clinton & Marcella, a brother Joseph R. Reed and a sister, Debra Costanzo predeceased her. Services will be held on Sunday, March 12, 2023 at the Elmer United Methodist Church, 21 Main St., Elmer, NJ 08318. The viewing will begin at 12:30 PM and the service will follow at 2 PM. Burial will take place at Chestnut Grove Cemetery in Elmer. The family has suggested that donations can be made in Patti’s name to Cornerstone Women’s Resource Center, 567 Salem Quinton Rd., Salem NJ 08079.

Patricia Reed Schneider

March 7, 2023

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Patricia Reed Schneider

March 7, 2023

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