Mary Acquin Schneider

Mary Acquin Schneider

And she said, “Hail Mary, full of Grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.” A prayer that Mary faithfully and enthusiastically recited every day.  

Mary Acquin Schneider, 87, was united with our Heavenly Father on August 17th 2018 in Gainesville, Georgia surrounded by her loving family. Her funeral service will be held at 10:30 am on Wednesday, August 22nd at Saint Michael’s Catholic Church, 1440 Pearce Circle Gainesville, Georgia and the family will also receive friends at the church from 9:30 am until the funeral hour.  Internment will follow at Arlington Cemetery in Atlanta, Georgia. Additional information regarding details of the service can be found at: Littledavenport.com.

Mary Acquin was born August 3, 1931 in Lebanon, Kentucky to William and Mary Acquin Spalding. She had 4 sisters and 5 brothers. Mary Acquin attended St. Augustine School in Lebanon and graduated in 1949. She was awarded a scholarship to attend Webster College in Webster Groves, Missouri. She graduated from Webster College in 1953, cum laude. From there Mary went to Hines VA Hospital in Hines, Illinois for a 1 year internship as a dietitian. Upon completion of the internship she became a member of the American Dietetic Association. She started work at the St. Louis VA Hospital as a clinical dietitian.

Mary Acquin met Claude Schneider in 1955 while working in St. Louis at the VA Hospital. They married the following year and began their married life. Their first child, Louis, was born in 1957. Shortly after Louis was born, they moved to Des Moines, Iowa where William (’61), Mary Acquin (’63) and James (’64) were born. With moves back to St. Louis, followed by a move to New Jersey, Mary and Claude settled in Atlanta, Georgia in 1971.

Mary Acquin continued to work throughout her life. One of her favorite positions was as a clinical dietician for the Georgia Retardation Center at Brook Run in Dunwoody, Georgia. As part of a treatment team, Mary worked closely with the children living at the Center. On many occasions Mary would take a child from the Center to the Schneider home to celebrate holidays or weekends as members of the family. Her love of those amazing children and helping others through service exemplified her lifelong devotion to her Catholic faith.

Mary Acquin enjoyed traveling, the arts, needle point, reading Maeve Binchy novels, and offering her professional expertise to the elderly and people with developmental disabilities. She was an amazing cook and is credited with numerous original recipes still enjoyed by her loved ones today. Mary Acquin relished time with her family. She is survived her husband (Claude) of 62 years, her sister (Sister Rita Spalding), her 4 children and spouses (Lou/Lora, Bill/Roxanne, Mary/Mike, and Jim/Sam), along with 13 grandchildren and 4 great grandchild.

The family would like to express their sincere thanks to the amazing doctors and nurses who cared for Mary Acquin at the Northeast Georgia Medical Center. Their support during a difficult time was incredible. If desired, friends can make memorial contributions to the St. Vincent De Paul Society located at 1440 Pearce Circe, Gainesville, GA 30501. Condolences may be sent to the family at littledavenport.com.

“Happiness is in our own hearts”- Maeve Binchy