Sally Hare-Schriner

Sally Anne Hare-Schriner, age 68, passed away Oct 20, 2026 in hospice care at home, tended to by family and close friends after a year-long battle with pancreatic cancer.

Sally was born Jun 10,1958 in Grand Island, NE to Jerry and Liz (Hackman) Hare. She grew up in Topeka,KS attending Boswell Junior High and Topeka High School. As a high school student, Sally excelled in track and was captain of the drill team. She also met her future husband, Dan Schriner, though they did not date until they were both in college at KU.

In college Sally was a member of the Alpha Chi Omega sorority and majored in Early Childhood Education. She worked at Hilltop preschool, where she began her life-long love for toddlers. After graduation from college, Sally and Dan married May 24, 1980. They began married life in a small trailer in Gas Light Village in Lawrence,KS while Dan completed his MBA and Sally continued working at Hilltop.

In 1981, Sally and Dan moved into an apartment on the Country Club Plaza in KC where they had three wonderfully crazy years filled with friends, happy hours and dinners at their favorite restaurants on the Plaza. Sally worked at Panache Chocolatier and often brought home the dessert. They next moved into their first home in an open-concept warehouse loft in downtown KC, MO, where their son Nathan was born in 1986. Sally and Dan soon realized they needed a home with doors they could close, and began their first home-building project in Shawnee KS. Here, Sally lovingly planted a tree in honor of their stillborn child, Hannah. Their daughter, Alexandra, was then born in 1990.

Shortly after, Dan came home from work early one day with the news of a new assignment in Melbourne Australia, a move which Sally courageously and efficiently handled with two small children. Thus began a five year adventure of living overseas – new and wonderful friends were made for life! After that, the next posting for the family was Dallas, Texas for another five year stint. In 2001, Sally wisely decided that moving back to Lawrence was the right choice for the children to finish school, for her to get her master's degree, for Dan to enjoy retirement, and to brainwash the children into attending KU.

Back in Lawrence, Sally thrived. After achieving her Master's Degree in Early Childhood Education, she taught preschool at Baldwin Elementary School. Eventually, she joined the advising team at KU's School of Education, mentoring student teachers in the field.

Sally was a philanthropist at heart and in action. She co-chaired the initial Women in Philanthropy organisation at KU, and personally initiated several funds to assist education students in financial need. She also actively helped form what eventually became the Just Food food pantry where she volunteered often and served on the board. Sally was also a board member for The Willow Domestic Violence Center. Her doggedness and determination prompted some colleagues to present to her a WWSD award (What Would Sally Do). She rarely took no for an answer and never backed down from addressing opportunities and challenges.

Shortly after building their third house in LFK, Sally and Dan began welcoming grandchildren. First came Olive Sneegas, now almost 9, then two more at once, Charlie Sneegas and Robyn Schriner, now 5, and then Theo who's 15 months. Sally loved her grandchildren very much. She enjoyed crafting felt ‘quiet books’, puzzles, and art binders for her new grandchild, as well as for any newborn among our friends and relatives.

Out of this passion for beautiful felt creations, her ETSY shop, Hearts of Felt, was born. Sally's beautiful floral felt wreaths and crowns shipped across the USA and even overseas, even during much of her cancer treatments.

In her final months, Sally and Dan returned to Shawnee, moving closer to the grandchildren to see them more on a daily basis after 25 wonderful years in Lawrence. Sally will be greatly missed by her family, her friends, and all those she touched with her kindness and generosity. Her family and friends will honor her at a private celebration of life in November. In lieu of sending flowers, the family recommends making a donation to the Just Food food pantry: https://www.justfoodks.org/give