Sandra Schoeninger, South India Alumna Goes Home

Sandra Irene Schoeninger, Women’s American Baptist Foreign Mission Society (WABFMS) alumna, passed away at the age of 88, on July 27, 2024, in Tel Hai Retirement Community in Honey Brook, Pennsylvania. Sandy was born on March 17, 1936, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She was the first-born child of Irvin and Doris (Purvis) Schoeninger.

Sandy grew up in Whitefish Bay, a suburb of Milwaukee. Her parents sought to provide a Christian atmosphere family and regularly attended church on Sunday as a family. They taught the children from an early age to think things over and try to make their own decisions.

Through grade school and high school, Sandy excelled in music and sports, receiving awards for both at high school graduation. She was also a part of regional and national American Baptist youth fellowships.

Following high school, Sandy studied at Ottawa University in Kansas where she majored in physical education and minored in mathematics and religion. She was also active in music, sports, and other things such as chairman of Vespers and Roger Williams Fellowship.

Upon graduation from Ottawa University Sandy took a position as physical education teacher at Shawnee High School in Shawnee, Kansas, where she taught for several years. During the summers she studied at the University of Wisconsin and earned a M.S. in physical education.

Sandy wrote: “In addition to my education, probably the church activities in my life have contributed most toward my missionary purpose.” She was involved in the world of the church at all stages of her life. She was active in Sunday Church School, choir, and Baptist Youth Fellowship on a local, state and national level. In college she was appointed National Guild Chairperson. She attended the Baptist World Alliance meeting in London in 1955 and the World Youth Meeting in Toronto in 1958. She was the youth representative to the American Baptist Foreign Mission Board and learned much of the mission work from this experience.

While on a mission trip, she was encouraged by many missionaries to consider mission service. She received a phone call from a Japanese school asking her to teach a gym class, which she declined. However, at dinner that night, when she reported the phone call to someone in her group, he said to her “Why don’t you come teach gym for me in India…” and that is how she began her 35 years of mission service teaching Physical Education and coaching many teams at Kodaikanal International School in Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu, India.

In 1965, Sandy was appointed by the Woman’s American Baptist Foreign Mission Society, as a short–term educational missionary to Kodaikanal International School in South India and then was fully commissioned in 1969. The school and International Ministries became her home and is where she developed her deepest and most enduring friendships. In her work she expanded and transformed the physical education offerings at Kodai School providing tennis, gymnastics, racquetball, golf, hiking, swimming, etc. She emphasized learning a range of sports before focusing on one or two, and learning the rules of each sport even if one was not athletically inclined. She taught children K through 12.

In addition to teaching physical education at Kodai, she also chaired the sports department. She coached volleyball, hockey, intra-mural track and directed weekend camping and hiking programs. Sandy used these activities to witness for Christ and she touched the lives of hundreds of young people. In 2016 Sandra was given the Margaret Eddy Alumni Award for exemplary service to the school. She received her award on May 20th during the Graduation ceremonies for the Class of 2016.

Sandy retired from the Kodai School in 2001 – she was the last missionary appointed by the Woman’s American Baptist Foreign Mission Society. Sandy was an inspiration and blessing for many. She will be missed by all those MK’s who called her ‘Aunty.’

Following retirement, Sandy settled in Pennsylvania and joined the Upper Marion Baptist Church in King of Prussia. She joined the choir, the Mission Committee, the Woman’s Circle and the adult Sunday School class. For a number of years, she helped to cook and serve a full breakfast each Sunday morning. It was a special time to share with others and get to know people. Sandy also volunteered at the International Ministries office one day each week until she moved to Honey Brook.

Another great influence in Sandy’s life and especially her Christian development were experiences at Green Lake camps and conferences. From the time she entered junior high she attended at least one conference at Green Lake each summer, including spending one summer as a student staff worker. Sandy became a ‘regular’ at Green Lake. She loved to golf, sometimes playing two or three times a week.  She became a volunteer they could count on every summer, especially in the capacity of managing the Country Store where many people stopped in for their morning coffee and to chat with Sandy.

Sandy was also known as a great baker. In India she always hosted a Christmas tea where she baked a variety of her favorite cookies, a tradition she continued in Chesterbrook and her Tel Hai apartment. Her cookies were also a special treat at family holiday gatherings.

While residing at Tel Hai she was the substitute water aerobics class instructor and volunteered whenever she could with other classes. She was active in the choir, helped in the mail room, and enjoyed her friendships. She also joined the Parkesburg Baptist Church where she sang in the choir and participated in women’s circles as often as she was able.

In addition to her parents, Sandra was preceded in death by her younger sister Mary Lynn (Schoeninger) Parks and her sister-in-law Frances Schoeninger.

Sandy is survived by her brothers, Douglas Schoeninger and Kenneth (Lynn) Schoeninger, her nephews Kevin (Monica) Schoeninger and Chris (Vivian) Parks, and nieces Karin (Scott) Waller and Laura Parks, Kevin’s children, Gregory Schoeninger and Will Schoeninger, Karin’s children, Brandon (Catherine) Waller and Briana Waller and Briana’s children, Quincy and Daelyn.

A Celebration of Life gathering will be held at the Tel Hai Retirement Community Chapel in Honey Brook, PA on Friday August 16, 2024; Visitation: 10 -11 AM, Memorial Service:11 AM -12 noon.

Memorial Contributions in Sandra’s name may be given to:

• Kodaikanal International School through Kodai Friends International at www.kfi-us.org.
• Ottawa University at https://www.ottawa.edu/ouks-alumni/home.
• Green Lake Conference Center at https://www.glcc.org/give.html.

For additional information and online condolences, please visit www.thelabsfh.com.