Myra Yvette Schussler Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

Myra Schussler died early in the morning on Saturday, July 23, 2022. She spent the days preceding that surrounded by love, and died as she lived much of her life, holding tight to her husband's hand. She was preceded in death by her parents, Harold & Edna Paget, and her brother, Roy Paget. Myra is survived by Irwin, her husband of 56 years, her children, Jeff (and Helene) Schussler, Doreen (and Erik) Landrum, Kim (and Paul) Loar, and Howard (and Jackie) Schussler, and her nine grandchildren, Jack, Paul, Ellie, Benjamin, Zoe, Sarah, Max, Hannah, and Charley. Myra lived her life beautifully, gracefully, and selflessly. It's impossible to capture her spirit in a few paragraphs, but anyone who has met her won't need these words to remember her. She was, simply, unforgettable. Myra was born in Brooklyn, New York, where she lived with her parents and brother, going to the Catskills every summer and spending time with her grandparents and her cousins, with whom she remained close throughout her life. She was active in her Jewish youth group, becoming president of local and regional chapters and even the international district. This is where Myra, at 15 years old, met Irwin, beginning a love story that would span over six decades. There is no one who met them who didn't notice and comment on their connection. If they were together, they were holding hands. If there was music, they were dancing. If Irwin was talking, Myra was probably laughing. They had four children, spanning more than 11 years. Every one of her kids did multiple sports and activities, never in the same place, often at the same time. She sometimes said that if she didn't have video, she wouldn't have believed it but, somehow, she made it look effortless. There has never, to this day, been a moment when her family felt like an inconvenience, despite objective evidence that we must have been. Myra thought her children and grandchildren could do anything. Everyone deserves a cheerleader like that in their lives, and much of whatever we have accomplished is directly because of the unwavering support and genuine admiration she offered. Myra was breathtakingly beautiful and elegant, graceful, and gracious, with a smile that lit up the room, even in her last days. But her real beauty was her selfless gift of making people feel as though whatever they needed was exactly what she wanted to do, and that whatever they had to give was exactly what she wanted. She showed up, always, making sure that her husband, her children, her grandchildren, and her friends knew how important they were to her. She considered her four children-in-law to be simply her children, and she loved them truly as her own. Her family, and the memories we created together, were the things she treasured. On her walls, right next to fine art, are still drawings her adult children (who have adult children) made when they were young. Myra was our family calendar and the keeper of our memories. She was always at the center of the action, happiest when she was playing games, building forts, painting, and cooking with, or reading to her grandchildren. She always made sure all 19 of us took a vacation together at least once a year, although she never made us feel bad if something prevented us from being there the whole time (or at all). Myra came from a musical family; her mother played piano and her father sang with a big band. She always had season tickets to local musicals and loved bringing her children and grandchildren to see them. If you watched a musical with her at home, she would be singing every word and making sure you sang along, or at least stayed awake for the whole thing. If she could answer a question with a line from a musical or an old song, she would, something she was doing even in her final days, letting us know she held on to herself throughout this difficult time. Myra was a lover of words - puns, alliterations, poems, books, songs, and word games most of all. She was a voracious reader, and happily instilled this in all her children and grandchildren. She made sure we saw plays and read poetry and knew every Dr. Seuss and Shel Silverstein book. And Myra loved playing games. From Candyland to Mah Jongg, from Catch a Killer to online beer pong with her grandchildren while she was sick (point of pride, she generally won), if there was a game, she would play it and play it well. It was best to have her on your team because she wouldn't let you win, ever. Myra had a generous sense of humor and appreciation of irony. She never minded being the instigator or butt of a joke, which, given the nature of her children and our own children (and spouses), was not infrequent. Myra was particularly humble, so many people were unaware of her talents. She was an accomplished stage actress, active in the Ft. Worth theatre for many years, winning awards and playing a wide variety of roles. We all have memories of watching her on stage, borrowing clothing from the costume shop, and exploring the (supposedly haunted) theatre. Initially a Spanish and French teacher, Myra picked up languages with ease, and would always study before she traveled to new places, making sure she could at least get by in the language people would be using. We may have missed some, but by our count, they visited 80 countries in the 56 years they were married. She never shied away from trying new things and was rarely a spectator or observer; they rode the elephants and camels, ziplined through the jungle, took cooking lessons in huts, swam with stingrays, danced during street festivals, and shared meals with the people they met along the way. She fostered a love of travel and new adventure in all of us, something she delighted in and marveled at, even though she was the source of it. Myra would always refer to her mother or children (or grandchildren) as the artistic ones, but she was always a creator. She sewed beautifully, making clothes and other items, many of which we still have (none so memorable as the denim-with-red-stitching matching family outfits she made in the early 70s). She knit, teaching many of us to as well, and we will forever be able to wrap ourselves in the blankets she made each of us. She started painting as an adult and created beautiful artwork for many years. Although it was harder since she got sick, she continued until very recently, making Irwin his annual Valentine's Day painting. Myra played the piano beautifully, and yet she was proudest to see this gift passed on to her children and grandchildren. She continued to seek out music her entire life, taking lessons to learn the harp, the banjo, the guitar, and the marimba. And she loved to dance! She and Irwin were always the first (and often the last) on the dance floor, something we mocked as children but delighted in as adults. She took tap dancing lessons in her 70s, which only stopped because of her illness, sadly before we could pay her back for the many many recitals of ours she sat though happily. When anyone told Myra they loved her, her answer was usually, "Maybe almost as much as I love you." That may be true, as her capacity to love was immeasurable. Someone who touches people the way Myra did will never be gone; we carry her in our hearts, and our lives are better and richer for having had her in it. Her last real words were, "I'm so lucky." We are all so lucky to have had her in our lives for all these reasons and more and, this whole time, she thought she was the lucky one. We would like to thank her doctors and nurses, who went above and beyond and gave us the last two and a half years, for which we will forever be grateful. Thank you to the amazing staff at Texas Oncology, St. David's North Medical Center, and Hospice Austin's Christopher House for the care they provided, the dignity they maintained, and the comfort they gave. Thank you to Austin Natural Funeral Homes and Congregation Agudas Achim, and Rabbi Neil Blumofe, who offered kindness and direction, treating Myra and our family as though they had known us for years, caring for us all and helping us find peace in this. In lieu of flowers please donate to Hospice Austin's Christopher House. Their amazing staff were gentle and kind and knowledgeable, and they made this last week something beautiful. A live stream of her funeral service will appear on the Austin Natural Funerals Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/AustinNaturalFunerals, shortly before 9:30 am on Monday, July 25th. A Facebook account is not required in order to watch. If a pop-up window appears asking you to log in click "not now" and the live stream will be available for you to watch. If the "not now" button does not appear, scroll down on the page and it will come up for you to select.

Myra Yvette Schussler

August 10, 1945 - July 23, 2022