Bill Schlemmer’s widow passes away

Wanda Schlemmer, widow of former BJ managing editor Bill Schlemmer, passed away Monday, Aug. 11.

Her flowery and enthusiastic obituary:

Wanda M. Schlemmer, the youngest 87-year old you have ever met, passed away peacefully August 11, 2014. She was loved by all and never met a stranger.

She was the very best mother and grandmother and GiGi. Our lives are forever changed. We are blessed that she enjoyed great health all of her life.

She was fun, loving, sweet and so kind. She set fine examples for her family on how to live a great life. Wanda loved to exercise with her aerobics group, play Bocce, hit the casinos and eat out (1/2 glass of wine with lots of ice) with her "kids" and friends.

She was renowned for her mashed potatoes and sauerkraut balls and we only hope that the recipe she left with us can be reproduced.

Wanda was preceded in death by her husband, William D. Schlemmer, and her daughter and son-in-law, Roberta and Harold Goldblatt.

She is survived by daughters, Cheryl Cannatti, and the son she never had Jim Cannatti, and daughter, Pamela Vineyard; grandchildren, Hallie Goldblatt, Holly and Chris Wedding, James and Julie Cannatti, Kelsey and Danny Smith, Josh and Stephanie Vineyard, Zack and Marisa Vineyard; great-grandchildren, Poppy, Chloe. Connor, Daniel and Everett, Mikayla, Caleb and Madison.

She is also survived by sisters, Shirley Fedrigon and Lois Hanna; dearest sister-in-law, Darlene Schlemmer, and many loving nieces and nephews, especially Cindy, Brady and Kim Marks; dearest friends, Carm and Steve Kramer and Magda Reiter; her companion pet, Romeo (that damn dog that she loved dearly).

There are so many other friends and adopted family that thought of Wanda as GiGi or grandma or Wanda or Mom. She loved each one of you dearly.

While we are heartbroken to lose her, we know that she will go on in our hearts and the hearts of all those she has touched. In her own words just last week, "I had a great run."

The family would like to thank the entire staff of Summa Western Reserve Hospital, especially the nursing staff on Floor 3 and the physicians who treated our mother with such dignity and respect.

Calling hours will be Friday, August 15, 2014 from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Ciriello & Carr Funeral Home, 810 Portage Trail, Cuyahoga Falls. Mass of Christian Burial Saturday, August 16, 2014 at 10 a.m. at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church. Interment to follow at Chestnut Hill Memorial Park. Memorials may be made to Turners Syndrome Foundation, P.O. Box 726, Holmdel, NJ 07733 or Cancer Research, Summa Western Reserve Hospital, 1900 Twenty Third St., Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio 44223.

(Sometime in the next week, please raise your glass and toast this wonderful woman who made our lives richer.)