Woman made everyone feel like family

You didn't have to be a blood relative to think of Ruth A. Schoedel as your mother or grandmother, her daughter said.

"It seems that everybody called her Mom or Grandma," said Mary Schoedel, of New Sewickley, Beaver County. "She made everyone feel so welcome that it was the natural thing to call her."

Mrs. Schoedel, of New Sewickley, died Monday, Nov. 17, 2003. She was 87.

Mrs. Schoedel was known for churning her own butter and making soap on the family farm and always had a steady stream of visitors.

"It seems no matter when you went there, she always had homemade soup on the stove and fresh bread in the oven," her daughter said. "She made everyone feel so warm and welcome."

She said her mother felt like she "was the luckiest woman in the world" because her family lived nearby and visited daily.

"Even when she was in the hospital everybody came to visit. We would put all the babies on the bed with her and the older kids wanted to climb up there, too, because they wanted to be close to her."

Holidays and family gatherings were inevitably "standing room only" with everyone pitching in to follow Mrs. Schoedel's culinary directives.

"She was definitely like the queen bee, and we were all like her worker bees," her daughter said. "My parents always preached family unity, and it really showed when we gathered together."

Mrs. Schoedel was preceded in death by her husband, Arthur. She is survived by 11 children, 53 grandchildren, 60 great-grandchildren and a sister.

Friends will be received from 1 to 9 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday at the George A. Thoma Funeral Home, 10418 Perry Highway, McCandless.

A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Friday at St. Ferdinand Roman Catholic Church, 2535 Rochester Road, Cranberry.