Erma Marilyn (O’Neill) Schneider, 93, died peacefully on February 19, 2026, with devoted family at her side.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, at St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church, Dubuque. Burial will be at Mount Olivet Cemetery, Key West, Iowa. Friends may call from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on  Tuesday, February 24, 2026, at Leonard Funeral Home, 2595 Rockdale Rd, Dubuque, Iowa where a wake service will be held at 3:45 p.m.

Erma was born in East Dubuque, Illinois, the daughter of Leslie and Clara (Runde) O’Neill. She married Donald J. Schneider on August 11,1956, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, East Dubuque. They met in the first grade at St. Mary’s school.

Erma graduated from St. Clara Academy, Sinsinawa, Wisconsin, in 1950, and from Clarke College, Dubuque in 1954, with a major in biology. She was a straight-A student. Erma had fond memories and stories of her educators and friends she met during this time. After graduating college, Erma and Donald became engaged. Erma moved to Rockford, Illinois to complete her training in medical technology and then worked at Finley Hospital in Dubuque while Donald served his country overseas. They married upon his return from Europe having seen each other only once in those two years.

Erma and Don raised seven children together and were a unified team in that effort and in every regard. Erma also managed to work evenings in a lab once or twice a month to stay current in her field. At the age of fifty, she went to work full-time in the lab at Dubuque Internal Medicine. She was soon promoted to Lab Manager and ran a tight ship there until her retirement.

Faith, evident in her daily life, was resolute in Erma. Two of her siblings chose religious life and had significant roles in the O’Neill and Schneider families. Erma, Don, and their family were blessed to have had the Sacraments administered and assisted by Erma’s brother who also celebrated many family masses at the Schneider home.

Remarkably intelligent and an avid reader, Erma kept her mind sharp and her heart open. Hers was a generous soul, others’ needs took priority over her own. She was steadfast in the care of her family, doing so with unwavering, patient love. Erma led by calm example, listened intently, and one felt centered in her presence. She could recite Shakespeare and Chaucer and could calm a child by reading aloud gently from a number of her select children’s books.

Upon retirement, Erma would take daily walks and happily lose track of time in her gardens. She planned and prepared gourmet meals for any size gathering, often while listening to her favorite operas. Whatever the task at hand, Erma was known to whistle while she worked.

With constant and gentle kindnesses, unmatched wit, a beautiful smile, and an immeasurable reserve of quiet strength, Erma has inspired three generations so far. In life’s game of tag, Erma was her family’s home base. Her family will strive to emulate her.

Surviving are her seven children, Mary (Kevin) Kane, Aurora, IL, Susan (Eric) Branson, Dubuque, Kate (Mark) Derby, Dubuque, Jane (Paul) Ducham, LaGrange Park, IL, Sara Schneider, Dubuque, Joseph (Judy) Schneider, Crystal Lake, IL, and Michael (Melanie) Schneider, Elmhurst, IL; and grandchildren Austin (Kirsten), Sean (Lindsay) Kane, Daniel (Kelsey), Patrick (Lauren Richards), Greg and Aaron Branson, Ellen (Mike) Fisher, Teresa (Matt) Pollack and John Derby, Jack and Alec Ducham, Nolan Seng and Catherine (John) Godfrey, Joseph, Connor (Emma), Emily and Colleen Schneider, and Grace, Mark and Nathan Schneider; and great-grandchildren Scout Birdie Kane, Riley, Brooks, and Olivia Sue Branson, Jack and Clara Branson, and Mary, Leo and Max Fisher.

Erma was preceded in death by her husband Donald, her parents, and siblings Most Reverend Arthur J. O’Neill, D.D, and Earl (Luella) O’Neill, and sisters, Ruth (Melvin) Hocking, Lois (Floyd) Cassidy, and Sister Helen C. O’Neill, OP; her sisters-in-law, Dorothy (Jay) Stoda and Darlene Schneider, and her granddaughter, Sarah Kane.

“Many are the women of proven worth, but you have excelled them all.” Proverbs 31

In memory of Erma, donations may be made to St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church, Dubuque.

The family wishes to thank Sunset Park Place and Hospice of Dubuque for their compassionate support and care of Erma.