Schnack, Mary

Mary Schnack, an Iowa native who became a journalist, media consultant, entrepreneur and champion for women in impoverished countries, died in Sedona, Ariz., after a 15-year battle with cancer.

Her death came Feb. 20, 2012, one day after a new documentary screened at the Sedona Film Festival: “When Cancer Returns 8x: The Mary Schnack Story.” She was 55 and had been in hospice care.

A 1977 graduate of the University of Iowa, Schnack became a reporter, freelance writer, rape counselor, spokeswoman for two Los Angeles-area hospitals, media consultant, public speaker and entrepreneur. Her company “Up From the Dust” sells women's handicrafts from Africa, Asia and elsewhere. She also had a business venture in Iceland.

She was diagnosed in 1996 with Endometrial Stromal Sarcoma - ESS - with a typical survival time of three years. As she battled recurrence after recurrence, she underwent eight surgeries but refused to let the disease rule her life.

Schnack crafted a training seminar, “7 Things I Learned From Having Cancer 7 Times +1 --- and How they Apply to Business and Everyday Life.” Lessons include, “Feed your soul.”

She also created a presentation, “Ten Dumb Things People Say to Someone With Cancer.” The worst is what survivors say to themselves: “Will it make a difference to anybody if I die?” But what really matters, she said, is, “Will it make a difference to anybody if I live?”

The human rights director of Vital Voices, a global organization dedicated to empowering women leaders and entrepreneurs, answered that question in a tribute on the group's website:

“Capturing Mary Schnack is an impossibility, not only because she moved quickly,” Melysa Sperber wrote. “She lived life to its fullest … Each time she traveled, she carried two bags: one of her belongings, and another full of medical supplies that she donated to a hospital, clinic or charity in need. She cared little about acknowledgment, and most about connection and compassion. In India, Palestine, Argentina and her beloved Kenya, she worked for, with and through Vital Voices to touch and inspire women and girls by strengthening their voices and building their self-confidence.”

One of the friends who came to Schnack's hospital bedside in Stanford, Calif., was Aoko Midiwo-Odembo, wife of the Kenyan ambassador.

Schnack's memorial service is set for March 17 at Bentley Funeral Home in Durant. Visitation begins at 10 a.m., the service at 11. Memorials also are being held in Sedona, Iceland and Los Angeles.

Born July 3, 1956, Schnack grew up in Bennett.

She is survived by her daughter, Erika of Tempe, Ariz.; her mother, Gerry of Durant; her stepdaughter, Tracy Lutz-Despres; her stepson, Ryan Lutz; siblings, Judy Glaser, Jim Schnack and Bob Schnack; and a legion of nephews and nieces.

Schnack's Facebook page brims with grief and praise: “You continually made a positive influence in other people's lives and not only on a community level, or a national level, but worldwide,” Danielle Loparco wrote. “ … One of my favorite quotes is: ‘What would you attempt to do if you knew that you would not fail?' You lived this.”

Published March 7, 2012 in The Gazette