Barbara Schnacke

Barbara Moore Schnacke was born to Thomas C. Moore and Inez Horner Moore on May 13, 1926 in Topeka, Kansas. She attended public schools in Topeka and met the man who would later become her husband, Austin Schnacke, while both were students at Topeka High School. Barbara graduated from Topeka High in the spring of 1944 and then traveled to St. Louis, Missouri, to pursue her undergraduate degree at Lindenwood College. But after her freshman year, she returned to Topeka to attend Washburn University, where her older sister, Patricia, and not incidentally, Austin Schnacke, were also enrolled.

In college, Barbara was an excellent student; she was active and athletic. She developed a strong interest in economics, particularly in the stock market and investing, which became a passion she maintained throughout her life. She was an active member of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority. She loved sports and was a talented tennis player. On June 21, 1947, while still undergraduates at Washburn, Barbara Moore and Austin Schnacke were married.

Following their graduation, the couple spent several years in California before returning to their roots in Topeka. Barbara held positions with several local companies over the next few years, but when her son, Jerry, and daughter, Judy, were born in 1954 and 1959 respectively, Barbara resolved to be a full-time homemaker and mother. In 1960, Barbara and Austin moved to Overland Park, Kansas, where together they would remain for the duration of their lives.

In addition to being a devoted wife and mother, Barbara was also a vibrant member of her community. Born and raised as a Presbyterian, in 1962 she became a member of Unity Church on the Plaza in Kansas City, and remained a member of that church for the rest of her life. She was also a dedicated member of the philanthropic P.E.O. International Women's Organization for more than 50 years.

Of the many roles Barbara played in her 92 years, one of her favorites was undoubtedly that of doting grandmother to her only grandchild, Lia Schnacke, with whom she had what she termed a "very special relationship".

Barbara Moore Schnacke passed peacefully on July 19, 2018, following a brief illness. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband of 53 years, Austin D. Schnacke, Jr., and her sister Patricia A. Chappell. She is survived by her son, Jerry D. Schnacke, his wife, Kristine, and their daughter, Lia, all of Chicago, Illinois; and her daughter, Judith Elaine Hodes, and her husband, Phillip, of Overland Park, Kansas.

Services to celebrate Barbara's energetic and caring spirit will be held at the Amos Family Funeral Home, 10901 Johnson Drive, Shawnee, Kansas, on Wednesday, July 25, from 2 to 4 PM. Interment will be in Mount Hope Cemetery in Topeka, Kansas, next to Austin.

The family asks that, in lieu of flowers, interested friends and relatives make a donation in Barbara's memory to the Friends of the MS Achievement Center at the University of Kansas Medical Center, 3599 Rainbow Boulevard, MS 3049, Kansas City, Kansas 66160 (www.msachievementcenter.org).