Charles Shnider

August 10, 1965 – August 25, 2022

Chuck (Charles Robert) Shnider died suddenly at home in Ottawa on August 25, 2022, at the age of 57.  Devastated by his loss are his spouse Jane Northey, his daughters Madeleine Northey (Tom Wood) and Simone Northey (Nawi Moreno-Valverde), and his older brother Harold Shnider. Chuck is predeceased by his father Mervyn and his mother Shirley.

Chuck was born in Flin Flon, Manitoba. Harry, Chuck’s brother, watched his small but formidable sibling use wit and obstinance to earn his place in the school band and student council. In and outside of school, he developed a love of science. The northern landscape proved the perfect testing ground for he and his friends’ extracurricular experiments. Chuck, Dennis and Darin “the Giant,” were particularly drawn to rockets – a precursor to Dennis Henry’s work on the James Webb Telescope. After Dennis’ passing, Chuck followed the telescope’s progress closely and celebrated its launch late last year.

Chuck moved to Ottawa after graduating in Computer Science at University of Waterloo. As a developer he worked with several software companies including Corel, Entrust, Adobe, Tierra, and Lightspeed where he was a cocoa developer.

Chuck enjoyed working with his colleagues and didn’t suffer fools. He was a fearless proponent of diversity in the workplace, a mentor to his younger colleagues, and a prankster with a well-loved sense of humour.

A member of CocoaHeads Ottawa/Gatineau, Chuck developed IOS apps outside of work, including the LingerApp for the Preminger Archive and SkateWay for users of the Ottawa skate canal.

Children weren’t part of his plan until he met Jane. He took on the role of father and spouse with unconditional love and dedication. Travel, cross country skiing, and cycling with Jane were particularly well-loved pursuits.

More than anything, he was grateful for the time spent with his daughters. Chuck was the go-to parent when it came to math homework, tech tips, food chemistry, and playing Barbie.

As the girls grew, Chuck passed on his culinary knowledge to Madeleine and Simone – duck confit, matzo brei, blintzes, and candied salmon to name a few. Some being recipes from his mother.

Listening to and advising his daughters on their adventures, ideas, and accomplishments, was what brought him the most pride. He welcomed their partners into our family with great warmth and love.

Chuck instilled, in those of us who knew him, an appreciation for life no matter the challenges. Having had a significant vision deficit all his life, Chuck nevertheless accomplished more than many and did so with humility, integrity, compassion, and profound devotion to his friends and family. He was deeply aware of inequity in all its forms and strove personally and professionally to promote fairness and equality for a better society.

The family would like to extend their gratitude for the excellent care of Doctors Marc Ruel and Kwan-Leung Chan, Nurse Practitioner Menaka Ponnambalam, Nurse Joanne Morin, the I.C.U. 4H ward nursing staff, and the physiotherapy staff.

We will be hosting a celebration at the family residence for close friends and associates on Tuesday, September 6th. Please contact the family for details. Donations in Chuck’s memory can be made to the Ottawa Heart Institute Foundation and Ottawa Food Bank.

Condolences, tributes and donations may be made at www.tubmanfuneralhomes.com