Ted Schneiderman

Ted Schneiderman died peacefully on Thursday, October 8, 2026, at the age of 94. No cause of death was made public. His death was announced in an obituary from Gordon Memorial Home in Akron and reported by the Akron Beacon Journal, which described him as remembered as a loyal friend. The Akron Bar Association added him to its In Memoriam list. In lieu of flowers, the family suggested donations to Beth El Synagogue or the Akron Bar Association Foundation.

Ted Schneiderman was born in Akron, Ohio, on April 3, 1932. He was the third child of Sam and Eva Schneiderman, immigrants who settled in Akron, and the little brother of Shirley, who married Sol Wagan, and Stan, who married Harriet. He lived in Akron his whole life.

He graduated from Coventry High School and Kent State University, then studied law at The Ohio State University College of Law.

Schneiderman began his legal career with the Summit County Prosecutor's Office. He also served as special counsel for the State of Ohio, the City of Akron and the City of Cuyahoga Falls, and practiced law with his brother Stan and other partners.

In 1980 he was appointed a judge of the Akron Municipal Court. He was later elected to the Summit County Court of Common Pleas and served there until his retirement in 2013. According to his family, he thoroughly enjoyed serving as a judge, was exceptionally well liked by his colleagues and members of the bar, and took great pride in helping train young lawyers.

A lifelong student of American history and the Constitution, he contributed biographies of the American presidents to the Akron Bar Association newsletter for years; they were later compiled into a book. For more than 25 years he planned the bar association's Constitution Day ceremony, which celebrated American history and featured the swearing in of hundreds of new citizens. In retirement he remained a familiar figure at civic occasions, and on January 6, 2024, he administered the ceremonial oath of office to Akron Mayor Shammas Malik at the University of Akron's E.J. Thomas Hall.

Schneiderman was married to Rolinda for 63 years until her death. They had four daughters, Toby, Karen, Nancy and Amy, and he was a devoted grandfather, known to his six grandchildren as "Paka." He also had three great grandchildren. In his last years his companion Janet Stewart, whom the family considered part of the family, brought him great joy and care.

He was a lifelong member of Beth El Synagogue in Akron and, his family said, lived by the conviction that one should spread happiness, sharing with them his keys to a happy life: faith, family, friends and work. He gave his time to the Akron Bar Association, Victim's Assistance, Oriana House, Kiwanis and the Akron Civic Theater, and was a national leader in B'nai B'rith, rising in 1976 to regional president representing eight states. His other joys included Ohio State football and the company of dogs.

Schneiderman's career spanned more than three decades on the Akron Municipal Court and the Summit County Court of Common Pleas, and his family wrote that everywhere he went he was known and loved. His long stewardship of the Constitution Day ceremony, where hundreds of people became American citizens, his writing on the presidents and his mentoring of young lawyers tied his work on the bench to a wider love of American history and civic life.