TOPSHAM — Phyllis Lyeth Schneider, 82, of Topsham, died Sunday night, February 4, 2018, at The Highlands Retirement Community.

A deeply caring and accomplished person, Phyllis was born in the Adirondack Mountain region in upstate New York on January 1, 1936, the daughter of Robert and Florence (Jarvis) Lyeth.

Phyllis grew up Lake Clear, NY and attended high school in Saranac Lake before graduating from the New York State College for Teachers in Albany with an A.B. in social studies. On April 7, 1956, she married Clayton Joseph Schneider Jr. at St. John’s of the Wilderness Church in Lake Clear, and together they eventually settled in Elma, NY to raise their family.

Phyllis started her career as a teacher of English and social studies in Cohoes, NY, before taking time off to raise her family. Once her children got a little older, Phyllis completed master’s and Ph.D. degrees in education at the State University of New York at Buffalo (UB), writing as her doctoral dissertation, The Effect of Viewing Favorable and Unfavorable Depictions of the Elderly on the Attitudes of Children.

Phyllis also served as a lecturer at UB, and as a teacher of remedial reading and subsequently an instructor of teacher in-service workshops in Depew, NY, before finishing her career as the elementary school principal of Elba (NY) Central schools.

Phyllis was active in the New York State Reading Association for many years, an organization assisting school administrators and teachers in improving the reading skills of NY’s students. She served as president for multiple terms, and organized reading conferences across the state.

Phyllis enjoyed camping both in the Adirondacks at Fish Creek / Rollins Pond, and on the family’s woodland in Rushford, NY, along with candle making and jigsaw puzzles, but her favorite activity was spending time with her family. She and her husband celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on a 2006 Caribbean cruise with her children/their spouses and her grandchildren.

Phyllis and Clayton enjoyed travelling, particularly their cruise in Alaska and their trip to Hawaii. Shortly after retirement, she and her husband moved to Sumner, Maine, where they lived for the twelve years before Clayton’s passing on April 12, 2016.

More recently, Phyllis resided in Auburn and finally in Topsham, Maine. Phyllis and Clayton were parishioners at St. Catherine of Siena Roman Catholic Church in Auburn. She was a loving, devoted, patient, and industrious wife, mother, and grandmother who will be deeply missed.

Phyllis leaves behind her three children and their spouses; four grandchildren, and a brother.

Prayers for Phyllis would be greatly appreciated.

A funeral service will be held at Stetson’s Funeral Home 12 Federal Street, Brunswick, at 4 p.m. on Friday, February 9th. There will be a funeral Mass and burial in Saranac Lake, New York in the spring.

In lieu of flowers, please feel free to make a donation to your favorite charity to honor Phyllis’s memory.