Beloved matriarch, hostess extraordinaire, gifted entertainer

Sharon Sheila Schneider (née Gogin), 77, died in her home on November 22, with family by her side.

Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on March 18, 1947, to Richard and Frieda (née Kane) Gogin, Sheila was the second youngest of 13 siblings. She graduated high school in 1965 and attended Marquette University and took courses at Carroll College, where she met her husband, Stephen Edward Schneider. They married on December 28, 1968, and had three daughters.

California was always where she wanted to be. The family moved to Concord, California, in 1973, and later settled in Claremont in 1983. She put her education and career aspirations on hold, as she stepped into being a wife and mother. When the family moved to Claremont, she earned her degree in business administration from Cal Poly Pomona. She and her husband Steve created Erincrest Enterprises, where she served as president. The company managed a small 10-unit complex in the Claremont Village.

“Sheila was more often known for her hospitality and love of entertaining, especially during holidays, making everyone feel special,” her family shared. “She had a knack for decorating and was a phenomenal cook and baker, giving Martha Stewart a run for her money. She was also a talented seamstress and made several of the girls’ homecoming and prom dresses.”

Family was the most important thing to her. “She always said, ‘Without family, you have nothing,’” her family said. “And family she had! Sheila was the loving mother to Tracey (Frederick) Castle, Heather (Rodney) Stone, and Meghan (Douglas) Gilliland. Sheila was a hands-on grandmother and the proud grandmother of Natalie Stone, Kendall Gilliland, Catherine ‘Katie’ Stone, and Morgan Gilliland.”

She will be missed by her surviving brother Thomas (Marge) Gogin; sisters Kathy Schrader, Karen (Robert) Rosecky, and Margaret (the late Michael) Castner; along with numerous nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents Richard and Frieda (née  Kane) Gogin; siblings, James Gogin, Ruth (Ray) Grandlich, Richard Gogin, Gerald (Gloria) Gogin, Patricia (Robert) Sczalsinski, Mary Ann (the late Michael) Radocha, John (Kea) Gogin; father- and mother-in-law Charles and Margaret (née Kroneman) Schneider; brothers-in-law Charles (the late Rahne) Schneider, John (Susan) Schneider; and by her beloved husband of over 50 years, Stephen Schneider.

She will also be missed by surviving brothers- and sisters-in law Constance Dioszeghy, Geraldine (Eric) Anderson, Marget (Angelo) Iaconetti, Frances (Kenneth) Rohr, Christopher (Debra) Schneider, Dan (Ellen) Schneider, and Thomas (Gretchen) Schneider.

Family and friends will gather in a private celebration of her life on December 28 at the family home, coinciding with what would have been her wedding anniversary.