December 23, 1935 - June 2, 2025
Bradenton, Florida - Lenore Lou (Bunny) Graf Schneider died on June 2, 2025, in Bradenton, FL. She was the daughter of Louis and Billie Graf, born in Cincinnati, OH on December 23, 1935.
Her beloved husband Jack preceded her in death in 2018. Survivors include daughter Dr. Julia M. Schneider (Louise), son John A. Schneider, sister Charme Burns (Jim), brother Louis Graf (Jan) a niece, nephews and many friends both lifelong and new. A summa cum laude graduate of Ohio University, member of Mortar Board Honor Society, Sigma Kappa Sorority and with a master's degree and major in Speech and Hearing Pathology, bunny was a teacher of the Hearing Impaired at Manatee High School for 20 years.
In 1991 she was voted Teacher of the Year. Through leadership I Julia's Girl Scout Troop, Bunny discovered her passion for Backpacking. In 1978 she organized a group of five like-minded women who named themselves the Mountain Marching Mamas.
The Mamas hiked the entire Georgia to Maine Appalachian Trail and published a book about their adventures titled "It's Always Up-Memories of the A.T." They went on to hike the Coast to Coast Walk in the Lake District of England, hiked archeological sites in Greece and Crete, and they canoed the Suwanee River from Okefenokee Swamp to the Gulf of Mexico. At the time of her death Bunny and the Mamas had taken 61 adventure trips together. Bunny and Jack were enthusiastic bird watchers, members of the Manatee County Audubon Society and were instrumental in the development of Felts Audubon Preserve in Ellenton, Florida. Co-founder of the Appalachian Trail Club of Florida in 1980, Bunny was the first recipient of the Benton MacKaye award. A lifelong avid reader, she belonged to the great Books Society for 44 years and was a member of the Chautauqua Literary Society. Bunny and Jack traveled the world extensively and canoed the wild and scenic rivers of Florida. After being on dialysis for two years, in 2018 Bunny received the gift of a kidney transplant at Tampa General Hospital. She would often say, "I am the luckiest woman in the world", then she would say, "No, I'm the most blessed woman in the world". She truly was thankful for Jack, her two precious children, family, friends and her restored health. Her parting message from the writer and poet Annie Dillard is "Beauty and grace are performed in nature whether we are there or not, the least we can do is try to be there".
A service will be held on Friday June 13, 2025, at 1:00 P.M. at First United Methodist Church in Bradenton, FL.,603 11th St W Bradenton, FL 34205. Donations may be made to Girl Scouts of West Central Florida WWW.GSWCF.org or 800-881-GIRL. Online condolences may be made at www.brownandsonsfuneral.com.
