Inez S. Schweizer

OVID-Inez Scharlene (nee Seydlitz) Schweizer, age 78, of Macedon NY, passed away at Strong Memorial Hospital Monday, December 30,2024.

Born in Lincoln Nebraska, Inez was the eldest of the four daughters of Charles Benno Seydlitz and Elsie Rose (nee Miller) Seydlitz. She spent her childhood and teen years in Nebraska where she was raised in the Baptist Church, loved her cat “Pete”, was proud of her “pioneer” heritage, and became a lifelong fan of the Nebraska Cornhuskers football team.

Inez met her husband of almost 52 years, Christian George Schweizer, while he was stationed as an airman in the USAF in Lincoln NE. They fell in love, and Inez left High School to marry Christian in the fall of 1963. Following Christian’s discharge from the USAF in December of 1964, Inez moved with her husband and young daughter Christine to his childhood home of Long Island. Inez was a resident of Elmont, NY for ~34 years.

During the first years on LI, Inez was a full-time mother and homemaker (known especially for her holiday dinners and her baking), and she also taught Sunday School at the First Reformed Church in New Hyde Park. She bowled in a local league at Argo Lanes on a team with her husband and Mother and Father-in-Law and played weekend home tournaments of pinochle that could become quite competitive. She was known to be a prolific letter writer to her family back in NE, and she took great pride in her beautiful penmanship. She loved gardening and canning the produce harvested. She was a seamstress for her daughter (play clothes, Halloween Costumes, Prom dress), and she created many beautiful afghan blankets for family members with her crochet hook. Later on, she loved exploring all there was to see in the NYC area with her son.

Inez was a devoted anglophile, particular reading about English history (Tudor England) and devotedly watching BBC and Masterpiece Theater productions on public television (“Elizabeth R”, “I Claudius”, “Upstairs Downstairs”, and the original “Poldark” and “All Creatures Great and Small” series). Most notably, Inez had a passionate, lifelong love of reading (Georgette Heyer and Jane Austen novels were her particular favorites). She spent many weekly hours at the Elmont public library selecting new books to read and giving the gift of nightly stories to her young children. By the time of her passing, her love of reading had been passed down through her children to her grandchildren, and her substantial home library of books was a treasured possession.

In 1972 Inez and Christian welcomed the birth of their son Charles, completing their family. Inez was a devoted mother who supported her children emotionally and spiritually, helping them to achieve their dreams, and to embrace all people and adventures. She was pivotal in making a great many things possible for them both.

In the late 1970’s Inez began working part time and then full time at the nearby Time Square Stores in the home decor department. She thoroughly enjoyed and was proud of her job, and it was here she met her lifelong friend Gloria Kidd (and began collecting Hummel).

Inez had a lifelong respect and desire for education, and in 1984 achieved her goal of completing her interrupted HS education by earning her HS Equivalency Diploma. In 1987 she went on to complete classes in Business Law and Accounting at Nassau Community College. Inez was a lifelong learner and instilled this drive and curiosity in both her son and daughter, cheering them on and having great pride in their achievements.

Inez went on to work for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA, Bus) in the 1990s, where she worked in the accounts division until Christian’s retirement and their subsequent move in 1999 to the Finger Lakes from LI.

Inez and Christian purchased their first home, after years of apartment living, in Ovid NY. Inez embraced her life in Ovid. She loved owning her own home. She enjoyed the company of friends and neighbors. She hosted the family who came to see them, and enjoyed multiple annual visits with her son, daughter in law and grandson from LI, as well as frequent visits with her granddaughters who lived close by. She frequented and relished the farm stands of Amish farmers, and she found contentment in all the local community had to offer. She was the proud wife of an airman who had served during the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the proud daughter of a US Army soldier who had fought in the Philippines during WWII, and so it was only natural that she became an active member of the American Legion Auxiliary Post 463 in Ovid. Inez continued working once in Ovid, employed by Cornell University in their accounts division until her retirement.

Inez was widowed in 2015. Prior to Christian’s passing, Inez adopted a small terrier mix in 2014 that she named “Maizey”. Maizey became Inez’s close companion and partner in their local adventures. Inez loved her dog dearly and remained devoted to her until her own passing on December 30.

In 2023, due to worsening health concerns, Inez said goodbye to her beloved Ovid home and moved to Macedon NY. Inez returned to apartment life, residing in her own apartment at Parkwood Heights following hip surgery in the fall of 2023. True to form, Inez came to embrace life at Parkwood where she especially enjoyed playing BINGO weekly and socializing within the community (she was known to especially enjoy piecing puzzles together with friends). She enjoyed afternoons with her granddaughters, visits from her grandson, and visits from “Maizey”.

Inez was an unbelievably tough person who persevered in spite of a great many things that life threw at her, and yet at the same time she was a very soft and sentimental person who loved her family and friends. Inez put her trust in God throughout her life and she followed the teachings of Jesus and believed fervently in being reunited with the people she loved in Heaven. She believed in being open to all people and being respectful of and engaged in their beliefs and concerns. We will miss her intelligence, her selflessness, her smile, her quick wit, and her loving nature.

Inez is survived by her daughter Christine Schweizer and her husband Joe Wilder; her son Charles Schweizer and his wife Jill Schweitzer; her grandson Matthew Schweizer; her granddaughter Caylan Wilder and her husband Sheldon Smith; her granddaughter Falynn Wilder; her granddaughter Kestrel Wilder; her sisters Frances Taylor and Sally Campion; her step-sister Sharon Melia; her half-sister Ruth Spang; her half-brother Paul McCoy; and her beloved dog, “Maizey”.

The family would like to express their gratitude to the Hospice and Palliative Care Units at Strong Memorial Hospital who took such good and gentle care of Inez throughout her last days.

Inez will be laid to rest beside her husband at the New York State Veterans Cemetery-Finger Lakes, 6632 State Route 96A in Romulus on Friday January 10, 2025 at 2:00pm. The family invites those who wish to join them in remembering Inez at this service to attend. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you make a donation in Inez’s name to one or more of the following: Beverly Animal Shelter www.beverlyanimalshelter.com; Edith B. Ford Memorial Library www.ovidlibrary.org; or Wounded Warrior Project www.woundedwarriorproject.org.