Gail Schneider

Gail Joy Schneider (Wojtowicz), born 14 January 1953, passed away Thursday, 2 July 2026 after a brief, but strenuous battle with cancer.

A lifelong Chicagoan, Gail exemplified the city that made her. She was strong, confident, and stubborn, while simultaneously making her way through this world with kindness, grace, and humility. At a time when the business and Scouting worlds were heavily male-dominated, Gail worked to break glass ceilings and pull up a chair in everything she did. Raised with the immigrant mindset so familiar to so many in the melting pot of the Midwest, Gail diligently labored to make the world a better place in any way she could, for whomever she could, whenever she could. Never one for accolades (though she received numerous, both through Scouting and in her work life), her greatest love was family: Initially her parents, sisters, and extended family; then her husband, Hank; and later their son, Kyle (and his wife, her daughter-in-law, Beth).

Over her lifetime, her hobbies varied – from Scouting (Girl Scouts, and then later Boy Scouts/Scouting America) to drag racing to ceramics to baking, and still so much more. She had a great love for gardening, tending to a vegetable garden as well as annual and perennial flowers in the yard and on the porch at their family home on Grace Street. One constant throughout her life was keeping up with the Chicago Cubs, something she inherited (as so many Chicagoans do) from her parents, which she passed along to the next generation.

Gail is preceded in death by her father, Edwin; her mother, Lorraine; numerous aunts and uncles; a few cousins; and her nephews, Ty and Collier Barcus. She is survived by her husband, Hank; her son, Kyle and his wife, Beth; her sisters Sandy Barcus, Karen Fuechsl (George), and Michele Shalton (Glenn); numerous cousins; 8 nephews, 1 niece, and their respective significant others and children.

Throughout her life, she left a lasting impact on all those she met, and truly exemplified the oaths and promises she made during her Scouting career. Though she is now with those who went before her, her memory and example persevere, living on through all those with whom she worked and loved.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Chicago Cubs Charities or Pier One Theatre of Homer, Alaska.