Ann Nell Marie Schneider passed away peacefully at home on August 5, 2026, surrounded by her loving family. She had been hospitalized several times for a variety of health issues in the past 4 months, but was always determined to come back to her home in Glendale where she had lived since 1968.

Nell was born June 18, 1930, in Abrams, Wisconsin, to Bert Knowles Sargent (1892-1971) and Genevieve Marie Bischmann (1901-1959). She and her younger brother, George Charles Sargent (1932-1999), grew up during the Great Depression and World War II. The family moved to nearby Oconto in the late 1930s seeking work, and she recalled life there during the depression and war years, wandering the northern forests identifying wildflowers, picking blueberries and blackberries and developing her lifelong love of nature. As a teenager, she enjoyed summers harvesting green beans with her friends and her brother on local farms. It should also be known that she was a lifelong Green Bay Packers fan.

She was a woman ahead of her time. Graduating at the top of her class from Oconto high school in 1948, she turned down a scholarship to the University of Wisconsin and instead took full advantage of the exciting post-war years, finding various jobs and adventures in Colorado, Florida, and New York City. She eventually returned to Wisconsin and married Daniel Schneider on December 17th, 1955. They had met through mutual friends after he was discharged from the army the previous year. Nell and Dan were blessed with four children: Susan (Ralph Harrison), Pamela (Tom Woody), Jennifer (Tom Wilder), and John who were raised in Glendale on the Milwaukee River. They enjoyed the freedoms of childhood in the 1960s; running and biking around the neighborhood in the summers and ice skating on the river in the winter. Vacations were spent camping or visiting relatives in northern Wisconsin, along with regular summer trips to visit relatives in northwestern Iowa. Nell gained another daughter in Hideyo Nakazawa, who came to live with the Schneiders as an exchange student from Japan in 1984 and has remained part of the family ever since.

Forever engaged in her community through work and service, Nell worked for the then Milwaukee Journal. She eventually enrolled in many adult collegiate and training courses through UW-Milwaukee. She remained a lifelong learner. Nell’s first priority was her family though she found many friends through her time teaching at the Riveredge Nature Center as well as at the Boerner Botanical Gardens. She founded and served as the executive director of Friends of Boerner Botanical Gardens where she played a key role in fundraising and organizing its volunteers, opened the garden’s first classroom for children, and also served as a longtime board member.

Nell cultivated many diverse and beautiful friendships that spanned decades and generations. Beyond her own family, she became a mother, sister, grandmother and dear friend to many. She would often share conversation over a hot fudge sundae or a glass of red wine. Her kitchen and living room were the site of countless dinner parties, holiday gatherings, and bridge games. Those who were fortunate enough to have Nell in their lives can attest to her quick wit and open mind, which was constantly at work. She was a prolific reader, particularly of mysteries, and also had a great interest in cultures and history. Her early education in the Christian Science Church led to a lifelong fascination with religion and spirituality, which she loved to discuss.

Nell’s greatest joy was her family. Together with her children and husband Dan, she found her peace on a slice of land on the south shore of Lake Superior. There, they set up camp and created a place for their growing family to come together summer after summer. She instilled her love of forests, flowers, and all things growing in her grandchildren, Michael McCarthy, Ryan McCarthy, Dan Wilder (Kelly), Chris McCarthy, Megan Fredrickson (Kyle), Matthew Harrison (Kaitlin Buerge), Jena Wilder (Alvaro Sanz), Julia Harrison, Scott Harrison (Emily Renkey), and Hunter Dercks. They fondly remember days filled with long walks through the forest, identifying plants, picking wild blueberries, or combing the beach for beach glass and driftwood. She delighted in imagining fictional stories about this lakeshore and had numerous book ideas about the Upper Peninsula always in progress. Her great grandchildren, Ani, Aiden, Helena, Kensi, Lawson, Audrey, Addy, Sawyer, Marina, Sylvia, and Alba remember nights filled with bonfires, stories under the stars, and a bottomless stash of Hershey’s kisses that was always hidden near at hand.

For the past fifteen years Nell has shared her home with her son John and their dog, Roman. They supported each other, loved to serve lobster dinners and enjoyed watching Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune, PBS mysteries, CNN, and most professional sporting events, especially the Green Bay Packers.

Nell was engaged in life until the end. She recently became a World Cup soccer fan and had made a list of new books to order a few days before she passed. She will have been disappointed to miss the November election. She continued playing bridge at home with her Friday afternoon group until a few weeks ago.

Nell joins her parents, her husband Dan, her brother George, and her daughter Jenny in whatever lies beyond. She leaves behind a legacy of love.

The family would like to thank the caregivers, Aurora Hospice at Home and their incredible staff and the many kind and generous friends and neighbors whose help allowed Nell to remain at home over the past months and years.

Memorial contributions in Nell’s honor may be directed to the Friends of the Boerner Botanical Gardens.

or the Riveredge Nature Center, PO Box 26, Newburg, Wi 53060.

A Celebration of Nell's long and wonderful life will be held on Sunday, October 18th, 2026 at the Boerner Botanical Gardens from 1:30pm-3:30pm.