Vera Suzanne Schooley

Vera Suzanne Schooley,66,passed away Monday, December 21st,2020,at Oak Hill Manor Nursing Home in Ithaca NY. Born in Ohio,she was the daughter of Yvonne Horton and Stanley Mitchell Kolson, and the wife of William “Bruce” Schooley. Vera received her Human Service Degree from Tompkins Cortland Community College. Vera was a Home Health Aide for many years in Ithaca NY, and she worked for Caregivers,Longview,and Ithacare. Vera also enjoyed spending time with her family (whom she adored)her friends, going to church,reading,and walking all over town to get her errands done,and doing things for other people. She also loved our families cottage that has been in my dads side of the the family on Cayuga Lake for four generations and she enjoyed spending her time at the lake over the years. My mom also loved beautiful scenery. She loved sunrises and sunsets. She loved animals. And she loved quotes in the Bible. One of her favorite verses was Mathew 7: 7-8, “Ask and it shall be given to you;seek and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you” and it used to be posted on her wall at the SRO and we talked about how we both loved that verse as well as my favorite that she likes too; Proverbs 3: 5-6, “ Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him,and he shall direct thy paths.” My Mom was humble and kind. She was the type of person that would give the shirt off her back to help another person in need. And that’s why it’s taken so long to get this obituary done because I really wanted to “bring her out for who she was” because she was taken way too soon by this awful pandemic of a disease, and I feel was so robbed because we wanted so badly to get her transferred to a Nursing Home in WVA. I remember one time I bought her a pair of winter boots and she gave them away to help someone in need. Not to hurt me but to do what had to be done and I understood. She never had more than she needed and was completely selfless and cared so much for other people. My mom had a heart of gold and she would brighten your day with her loving nature, giving spirit,energy,and enthusiasm. She also had a sense of humor and she knew just what to say to make you laugh. She was one of a kind and you would not forget her if you met her because she had this determination and quit wit about her that was very apparent. When she wanted something or was doing something for someone else she would never give up and always find a way to make it happen. She was a strong single struggling mom of myself Libby and my younger brother Bryon and even when I moved out at the young age of 16 she would never stop to make sure my brother and myself had everything we needed no matter what we were going through life. She was always there. Completely devoted and committed. My mom was a great mom. She loved Me and Bryon, and her three granddaughters, and it showed. She also adored her younger sister Helen who pre-deceased her with breast and bone cancer in 2001 at the young age of 43, and my dad. Even though her and my dad “Bruce” had been divorced since I was five years old they still had this beautiful love for eachother (though polar opppsites it was really sweet they shouldn’t had divorced they really had a true love) and were “inseparable” by cell phone her in NY and him in WVA and they talked to eachother morning,night and day and he held her in his shirt pocket and talked to her all the time. It was bitter sweet. They helped eachother through they’re days from afar wishing they could be together again. And even after we heard word that she passed, he broke down crying and looked in his pocket and said: “Vera are you there” and broke down crying. And I through my arms around him and said: “ Yes she is still there dad” She adored him. He was her light above everything else. Her true soul mate. They say: “ opposites attract” and that was truly my parents. She was the uppidity one. He was the more lauded back dosent like change. It was the sweetest thing to witness. They were funny together. My mom also enjoyed in the last years of her life the time she had with the residents and staff at the SRO in Ithaca NY who were very much like a second family too her. (Thank you all). And we appreciate the staff at Oak hill Manor Nursing home where she spend the last year of her life after a Pulmonary embolism who really made an effort to care for her when she got sick with physical therapy (that she loved), speech therapy,as well as all of the other special needs that she needed during this time. (Thank you all for being there for my mom I know it wasent easy at times but you are so appreciated especially nurse Betty I want to say your name was I hope I got it right,she especially loved you) and spoke highly of you. Thank you for sending her remaining stuff back too me. That all being said and I don’t care how long this is (this is my mom and she was so loved),Vera is survived by her ex husband William “Bruce” Schooley, daughter Liberty Schooley,”Libby” ,Son Bryon Schooley, three grand daughters: Alexa Anderson,Natalia Anderson,Gabriella Mullens,as well as her sister and brother in law Carolyn and Bill Mallory, they’re daughters Megan Mallory (Marton), Rachel Mallory (Milletics), her Cousins Laura and Kevin Briggs and they’re children, her sister Helen’s widow,Norman Peterson,as well as many other distant cousins on both her side and my dads. My moms wishes were to be creamated. And her ashes will be put in a portion urn for my dad, a portion urn to get buried at the grave sight where she will have a small close knit family memorial in late May with my dads WVA preacher officiating, and ash necklaces for close family member’s, as well as some of her ashes being saved aside to spread at our family cottage off both docks. I need to mention also that I ordered her a beautiful gravestone with flower pots on either side with a lake scene with a sunset which couldn’t be more perfect for her for both her and dad. And a double plot. And they’re pictures on it. Even though we hope dad will be around for a while longer. We really need him the loss of her was tragic and we are all still grieving. It was unexpected. Memorial donations may be donated to Bangs funeral home where they will be dispersed to me (her daughter Libby) and I will disperse them too healthcare organizations that meant so much to my Mom in her memory.