Gail Schneider

FORT WORTH -- Gail Armstrong Schneider of Fort Worth passed away Sunday, Aug. 15, 2010. Funeral: 10 a.m. Friday in Founders Chapel of First United Methodist Church of Grapevine. Interment: Grapevine Cemetery. Visitation: 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Lucas Funeral Home, 1321 Precinct Line Road, Hurst. Gail graduated in 1964 from Grapevine High School, where she was a drummer and was part of the performing arts, followed by attending East Texas State University for two years. After college, she went to work for Braniff Arlines as a flight attendant followed by working as an optometrist's assistant for eight years in Grapevine. Not long after that, she went to school to become a real estate agent for Red Carpet Realty and also substitute-taught in the Grapevine ISD. Starting in the early 1980s, her entrepreneurial spirit took hold. Working in partnership with her husband, Rich, they owned and operated a Christmas tree lot, vinyl sign shop, laundry mat, landscape and design company, rented RVs and operated a mobile photo company. Gail loved carnivals so much she owned and operated a carnival ride. She became a self-taught contractor, building two homes. She owned and managed a shopping strip center on Main Street with her husband. Gail loved the performing arts and ran a play theater, Runway Theater, on Main Street in Grapevine for years. She was also an accomplished singer and performed once on Johnnie High's stage at the Grapevine Opry House. Gail enjoyed square and round dancing and also participated in "Greenie Callers" exhibition at the Swingtime Center. Gail was an avid golfer and belonged to Arlington's women's golf league and Suburban women's golf association. She played every year at the Texas Women's Amateur Golf Association tournaments. She was an accomplished pianist and organist, loving music. She also enjoyed oil painting and making stained glass works of art. She recently found a passion to make embroidery fashions and also enjoyed riding motorcycles with her husband, owning several Goldwing Trikes over the years as they loved going to Goldwing rallies all over the U.S. Their most memorable ride took them through 12 U.S. cities and three Canadian provinces, covering 6,500 miles. Gail lived life to its fullest and embodied what it means to "really live!" She was preceded in death by her loving father, James R. Armstrong, and his wife, Nancy, and brother, Jimmy. Survivors: Husband of 31 years, Richard W. Schneider; sons, Randy Schneider and wife, Amy, and Steve Schneider and wife, Rhonda; daughter, Staci and husband, Tim Vendal; and grandchildren, Sterling, Myranda, Christian, Alex and Tanner. To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Gail Schneider please visit our Sympathy Store.