Charles Henry Schneider

Charles Henry Schneider, known as Chuck or most affectionately by his family as Pappy, passed away peacefully at the age of 77 years old on October 14th. He was born in Bethlehem, PA on March 20, 1945 and grew up in Darien, CT.

He eventually settled in Northern Virginia which he considered home for over 35 years until earlier this year when he moved back to Pennsylvania to be close to two of his children after his wife's passing.

Chuck joined the Navy right out of high school and proudly served in the submarine force on the USS Haddo. After serving 4 years of active duty, he proudly continued his service in the naval reserves until 1989 when he retired as a Lieutenant. He met his beloved wife Betty at a dance in 1964 where they fell head over heels in love and were married shortly after.

Chuck had a long & successful career in computer engineering that began in Pennsylvania where he & Betty settled to raise their family. An opportunity to advance his career as a Senior Engineer with Unisys included a relocation to Northern Virginia. When he retired from Unisys he then went on to have a second career working for the federal government as an IT Operations Manager and Principal Systems Engineer. He fully retired in 2014 and proceeded to frequently travel to Massachusetts and Pennsylvania for extended visits with his grandsons.

Chuck was outgoing and gregarious and liked to find the humor in all situations. Making others laugh was innate to his personality as he was both quick-witted and charming. However he also really enjoyed his quiet time which he used to read and reflect. His family was everything to him. Nothing made him happier than to be around his kids and grandkids.

Chuck was an avid reader and history buff with a love of trains and a serious passion for politics; hobbies he shared generously with his family and friends.

He loved animals, especially his beloved dog Coco who went everywhere with him. For anyone confused on their priority status with Chuck, it was quickly cleared up when you were relegated to the backseat as Coco was the designated forever copilot.

Chuck is survived by a large family who loved him and will miss him greatly.

His wife Betty of 57 years preceded him in death last December. He was the son of the late Karl Francis Schneider & Barbara Perry (Schneider) Kraft and stepson to the late Ralph Kraft. He also had 1 brother, Frank Andreas Schneider, and 1 stepsister Joan (Kraft) Caine who both preceded him in death. His surviving family includes his sisters Leopoldine (Polly) Verrico; Barbara (Schneider) Craig and husband Wayne; step-brother Clifford Kraft; son Charles Jr. and his wife Karen; his daughter Susan Carrigan and her 3 sons Liam, Christian & Eamonn Irving; his daughter Kristen, husband Paul and their 2 sons Cole & Ethan Hoffman; his daughter Heather, husband Walton and their children Matthew, London and Ronin Porter; and very recently his first great-grandchild who was named after him, a point of great pride for Chuck, Henry Russell Irving (son of Liam Irving & Meghan Mules). He is also survived by several furry grand-babies who he adored. Services will be private.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in his memory to the Wounded Warrior Project or the ASPCA.