Gloria Laks Schnyder 1943-2020
Our good friend and classmate, Gloria Laks, has passed away just after her 77th birthday on March 17th. Born in Manchester, England, on March 17, 1943, Gloria was the daughter of Henry and Ethel Moscovitch Laks. She was a wonderful person, full of life, and with a great sense of humor. She once posted on our class site that she was born in England, on an Irish holiday, with a Spanish name and that was why she was often confused!
Gloria had an affinity for vintage movies and music and once shared a story about meeting the son of movie actor, Anthony Quinn. She owned several of Quinn’s films and was delighted to share that with his son.
Gloria joined our site in June of 2013, and was one of our most active members. She came to many of our reunion events, and enjoyed reconnecting to old friends and because she was such an outgoing person, made many new ones, too.
Gloria had an aunt who lived in California and after graduation from Central, she made the decision to move there, and that was where she met Jack Schnyder who became her husband. Together they had two children, Michael and Beth. Tragedy struck the family when daughter, Beth, died at age 34 in 2008. Jack passed away in 2010, but Gloria continued to find joy in life through her son and her grandchildren. She was also the proud owner of Lucy, her little dog, who ensured that she walked every day!
Rita Skog, who shared this sad news with us, spoke about being friends with Gloria from the age of 4! They stayed in touch over the years, sharing life’s big events as well as just being friends together both in California and in Connecticut when Gloria visited her East Coast family.
I want to share one more thing here. On the form for the web site, we are asked to share a memory from high school and Gloria’s really highlights her great sense of humor. Here it is: “Too many to remember, but I remember the choir trip into New York. Rita Skog and I arrived at the Met a little under the weather, and fell asleep during the program. The very loud music woke us up. Maybe we had a drink or two, not sure, the rest is a bit foggy!”
Gloria is survived by her son, Michael, grandchildren, Kyle and Lindsey, her sister, Roz, and three brothers, Howard, Kevin, and Earl.