Andrea Louise Schneider

Andrea Louise Schneider (Teichner) was born on August 11, 1947 at Lenox Hill Hospital in NY. She died peacefully at home in Henrico, VA, with her sister Janice by her side, on December 31, 2021. She was 74 years old.

Andrea was truly one of a kind. Her eclectic, unique approach to life was reflected in everything - from her sense of style and home furnishings, the career she built, and even her friendships. No one was like Andrea.

Andrea had a fierce passion for public service at all levels, and cared deeply about relationship building, integrity and learning. This passion drove her to work with American Indian communities, support community relations in local cities in California, and even led her to the highest levels at the United States Justice Department, where she served as a fellow evaluating the effectiveness of a nationwide grant for community policing. No matter the role or the community she worked within and for, Andrea always strived to listen, to be humble, and to ensure the work that she and others did had impact. Andrea was also very involved in politics, and was especially proud of her participation in Bobby Kennedy’s presidential campaign.

Andrea was insatiably curious; as much as she loved to talk, she loved to learn about other people and listen so much more. She knew that everyone had a story to tell, and she was always eager to hear it. She loved asking questions and always probed deeper to find the real meaning behind your words.

Andrea loved collecting. From her beloved dog trinkets to her favorite stationary, Andrea’s home told a story. She was never precious about her belongings, though - always quick to share and give generously. Andrea’s love for collecting even extended to the incredible constellation of friends that she built over her lifetime. Andrea was friends with everyone; if she met you on the street, she’d befriend you in three minutes - especially if you had a dog.

Andrea loved all animals but developed a sincere love affair with dogs when she adopted her first golden retriever Jake. Next was Ellie, and finally YumiSa. Andrea was never without her dog and relished trips to the dog park, the beach, even walks on the Google campus to let the dog swim in the fountains. Always entrepreneurial, Andrea opened and ran her own dog store, The Pearl Retriever, for many years in Portland, OR. Andrea never let go of her dream to adopt another dog, even at the very end of her life.

Of course, no story about Andrea is complete without talking about cancer. Andrea was diagnosed with breast cancer in her forties, ultimately living for three decades with the disease. Even so, Andrea never saw herself as a patient; instead as a person living with cancer. One day she found a small, “goofy-looking” dog toy that she named Gus. Gus came to represent her cancer and she brought him everywhere. Gus was her way of acknowledging her cancer’s presence, but not letting it define her.

Over these 30 years, Andrea emerged as a strong, committed advocate for patient-centered care, and built a network of dynamic practitioners and friends who felt the same. What started out as just her own “Gus,” led Andrea to form her nonprofit called The Gus Project. Always full of ideas, Andrea envisioned The Gus Project as an innovative ecosystem of services and resources to support people living with cancer, as well as their families and caregivers. Andrea filled hundreds of pages with ideas to make living with cancer more about joy and thriving - and not about surviving.

Andrea felt particularly fortunate to partner on The Gus Project with world-leading physicians and innovators in health care, including BJ Miller, MD, President and Counselor at Mettle Health, and Todd Park, Co-Founder and Executive Chairman at Devoted Health and former Chief Technology Officer of the United States. At the same time, she was always recruiting anyone - in any setting - to join The Project, as she called it. She wanted it to include and be for everyone.

At the end of her life, Andrea became increasingly guided by what she called “moments and memories.” She desired more closeness with family, which informed her decision to relocate to Virginia to be with her sister and her niece. “I want to be in the picture,” she said. And we knew she meant that figuratively and literally. We took a lot of pictures while she was here.

Andrea grew up in Palo Alto, CA and lived there for many years of her life. But her true home was Portland, OR. She was a Class of 1965 graduate of Cubberley High School, and earned her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of California at Berkeley, and her Master of Arts in Public Policy from Sonoma State University.

Andrea was an eternal optimist; in fact, to so many of us, Andrea just seemed eternal. In the end it was her body, not her spirit, that gave out.

Andrea is survived by her family - including her sisters Janice and Sally, her brother David, her nieces Ashley and Rebecca, her nephew Andrew, and her grand nephew Eli. A memorial service will be planned for the Spring in Portland, OR. If you would like to honor Andrea’s memory, please consider making a donation in her name to an animal/dog or healthcare charity.