October 30, 2001

Ian Schneider was a sports fan in the truest sense of the word. If he wasn’t at Yankee stadium cheering on the Bronx Bombers, he’d likely be found on the golf course or coaching his kids’ soccer and Little League teams.

Another of Schneider’s favorite pastimes was collecting sports memorabilia. After Sept. 11, his most treasured find -- a 1958 Yankees World Championship ring -– has been passed down to his 9-year-old son Jake.

Schneider was among the hundreds of Cantor Fitzgerald employees lost at the World Trade Center. The 45-year-old senior managing director called his wife Cheryl from his 104th floor office just minutes after the plane hit the building, and told her he was about to leave the building.

“He was there during the ’93 bombing and went to work the next day,” Cheryl Schneider told the Newark Star-Ledger. “He and his buddies used to tie pencils from the ceiling just to see them sway. It didn’t seem to bother him.”

Schneider was known among friends and family for his disarming wit, enjoying nothing better than to make someone smile.

“He could take the most horrible situation and make us laugh,” said his wife. “He was a big, jubilant guy and passionate personality, who was always on. No one had more energy.”

In addition to his wife and son, Schneider is survived by daughters Rachel, 10, Sophie, 7, and his mother Perry.

-- Jenna Kern (For Newsday)