Marjorie Young Schindler passed away peacefully at the age of 87 on Sunday, December 26, 2021, following her battle with heart failure and pancreatic cancer. Marje was born in Alliance, Nebraska in 1934 the daughter of Herbert and Lela Young. A celebration of her life will be held on April 9th, 2022 at 11:00 AM at Trinity Presbyterian Church (https://www.trinitypresby.org) with a simultaneous live-stream of the services online.
Music was a major part of Marje’s life from a very early age, starting in a rhythm band in kindergarten class and progressing to the choice of the cello, playing bassoon parts in the band starting in the fifth grade. Her cello playing continued through high school and eventually led to meeting her husband Darrel at a rodeo in Alliance in 1951. Marje also played Scottish drums in the marching band and cymbals in the pep band all through high school.
Marje played and studied the cello when she attended Nebraska Wesleyan University while working on a teaching degree in Lincoln, Nebraska. She played in the Lincoln Symphony, along with her two elder brothers, and the Kearney, Nebraska Symphony where she did her practice teaching.
After her marriage to Darrel Schindler on August 21, 1955, Marje taught kindergarten and after moving to Wilmington, decided to enroll at the University of Delaware where she obtained her bachelor’s degree in education in 1960. She continued teaching kindergarten following their relocation to Orange, Texas, and then again in Lawrence, Kansas where she taught second grade. The family then relocated to Parkersburg, WV, where she and Darrel played cello in the Marietta OH Orchestra and Marje sang in the Parkersburg Choral Society and performed with the Parkersburg Actors Guild.
Realizing that there were no public kindergartens in Vienna, WV where she lived, she established a kindergarten school at the local Presbyterian church, providing learning to underprivileged children with the support of other local Vienna churches. She remained an integral part of the school until it closed, when the State of West Virginia finally established public kindergartens.
Marje’s children became her primary focus following another relocation back to Wilmington in 1975, where they joined Trinity Presbyterian Church. In 1979 the family moved to Geneva, Switzerland in 1979 and joined the American Church; Marje studied cello and French, was a deacon in the Church, sang in the choir and took part in other church activities.
In July 1983 the family returned to Wilmington and Marje joined the Singing City Choir of Philadelphia. She was a two-time ovarian cancer survivor; she was diagnosed with Stage 3 ovarian cancer in 1985, fought and won the battle with chemotherapy, only to have the cancer return in 2010, when she beat it again.
In early 2021 she was diagnosed with heart failure and treated by the Heart Failure Program at Christiana Hospital. CT scans also revealed early-stage pancreatic cancer which was treated with radiation. The family would like to sincerely thank all the Christiana Care medical professionals and ACTS home healthcare providers that were with Marje in her closing days, for everything they did to help her until the very end.
Marje was a loving wife and caring mother, always the consummate educator who raised her children to be caring and confident, to always make the best of all situations and to look for the good in everyone around them. She loved to share her music with the community and church, through voice and instrument, in the choir and in the string section of the orchestra and pit orchestra, and later in the rhythm section of the band. She has left a legacy of music that the family will carry with them forever.
Marje is survived by her husband Darrel Schindler of Hockessin, Delaware, and her three children: Susan Schindler Price (John) of Tucson, Arizona, Sara Schindler Bishel (John) of Port Allegany, Pennsylvania, and Paul Schindler (Joann) of Seattle, Washington. She is also survived by her eight wonderful grandchildren, her four beautiful great-grandchildren, her nephew, and many nieces.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Trinity Presbyterian Church Memorial Fund or to a charity of your choice.
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