Bobby Neal (Jones) Schneider

Bobby Neal (Jones) Schneider (87 years old), preceded in death by her loving husband of 27 years, John F. Schneider Sr., passed away on Thursday night, April 3, 2025. Funeral services will be held this Saturday, April 12th, with the viewing from 10-11 a.m., followed by the service at 11 a.m. at Gentry-Morrison Serenity Gardens Chapel (3350 Mall Hill Drive, Lakeland, FL 33810). Interment will follow in the Oak Hill Cemetery (4620 US Hwy 98 S, Lakeland, FL 33812). The third of five children born to the late Bessie Neal Fleming Jones and the late Robert Jefferson Jones, Sr., Bobby grew up in Matthews, Georgia and attended Ways Baptist Church and Mt. Moria United Methodist Church. She was baptised as a youth at Ways Baptist. After graduating from Wrens High School, she went to North Georgia College where she studied Medical Technology. After college, she joined the Marines and then transferred to the Navy to use her degree. While serving in the military, she met and married the love of her life, John. She left the military in 1966 with the rank of Lieutenant (junior grade) to start her family. Bobby and John had four children in five years and raised them in Lakeland, FL. She continued to work using her Medical Technology degree at Watson Clinic and, later, as a lab manager at Bartow Memorial Hospital where she retired in 1990. Bobby was a devoted wife and mother who invested deeply in her children's education and extracurricular pursuits. From helping with Cub Scouts, to serving as the PTA president, to being a soccer, majorettes, and karate mom, she stayed involved in her children's lives. She, also, took time off from work to invest in her children during their younger years. After retirement, Bobby pursued hobbies like the Polk County Computer Club (where she served as President) and helped to raise her grandchildren. Bobby brought joy and warmth to others and really enjoyed her neighbors. She served others with kindness and generosity when in her power to do so. She was an incredibly strong woman who overcame cancer several times and was a positive role model to many. Bobby was an avid reader, who loved quilting and sewing, outdoor activities like camping, fishing, gardening, and visiting National Parks. She loved celebrating and decorating for holidays - especially Christmas (where at one time, she had 3 fully-decorated trees). As her children grew and had families of their own, Bobby continued to foster opportunities for fun and connection by encouraging scallop trips in the summer and holiday celebrations annually. Bobby was preceded in death by her husband, John F. Schneider Sr., her brothers, Arthur “Buck” Jones and Jeff Jones, and her in-laws, Andy and Margarita Schneider. She is survived by her sisters, Nina Mercer and Ina James, and sister-in-laws, Mary Jane Jones and Diane Jones. Bobby, also, leaves behind her children, Loretta Myers and her husband, Richard, Tony Schneider and his wife, Crystal, Debbie Neilan and her husband, Frank, and John Schneider Jr. and his wife, Kerri, along with 9 grandkids - Kimberly who is married to Chad, Lindsey who is married to Juan, Mitchell who is engaged to Vanessa, Caitlynn (Lukas), John Allen, Callie who is married to Alec, John (Trey), Colton, and Joseph and 4 great grandkids - Stetson, Harper, Amara, and Oliver…and a host of nieces and nephews. Pallbearers will be Chad Willett, Mitchell Myers, Lukas Schneider, John Allen Schneider, Alec Hanshaw, Trey Schneider, Colton Schneider, and Joseph Neilan. Donations can be made in lieu of flowers to Ways Baptist Cemetery, ℅ Anita McNair, PO Box 374, Wrens, GA 30833.

Bobby Neal (Jones) Schneider

August 3, 1937 - April 3, 2025