Morris Schneider was repeat Dad of the Year in pages of ‘Press’

Posted

On Dec. 7, the same date he was discharged from the U.S. Army 69 years ago, Morris press died at the nursing home.

For many years, he was one of the many “fathers of the year” in The Press, amusing his son’s friends.  

Mr. Schneider was born on the Lower East Side to immigrant parents. He attended Seward Park High School and Brooklyn College for one year. He had to leave to support his growing family, and so with training he received in the army, became a women’s tailor at Saks Fifth Ave. He worked there until age 80, when he was forced to retire. 

Until 1954, his family lived in Queensbridge. Then they moved to Marble Hill — considered a step up at the time — where they lived until the family was able to move to the Amalgamated Houses. His wife Florence, often contributed to The Press and was a mother of the year. She died in 2005.

Until his death, Mr. Schneider lived on his own in a four-room apartment. He relied on meals on wheels and Access–A-Ride and the veterans’ facilities. He was fiercely independent and stubborn about anyone helping him. He loved “The Price is Right” and “befriended” Judge Judy daily. He watched sports and reported the weather and any interesting news to us.  Every Friday, he lit the candles and read from his Army prayer book, which his family lovingly buried with him.  

His family, like so many others, is spread far and wide. His daughter Judith Veder lives nearby but another daughter and her family live in Vermont; yet another daughter and family live in Los Angeles. He has grandsons in Los Angeles and South Beach. Others live closer.

Mr. Schneider was buried in a private service at Cedar Park Cemetery in New Jersey on Dec. 10, next to the wife he so missed. His family said they miss him so much already. Ms. Veder said, “How lucky to have a father who lived until 98.”

Morris Schneider, Dad of the Year, obituaries