Lisa Marie Schlomer

Lisa Marie Schlomer, beloved wife and mother, died peacefully in her home on December 3, 2024, holding the hand of the love of her life Michael Schlomer, her husband of 25 years.

Born in Ashtabula, Ohio, on October 27, 1970, to Thomas and Bonita Laveck, Lisa lived life to the fullest every year of her 54 years on this earth.

She graduated from Saint John High School in Ashtabula in 1989 and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in education from Bowling Green State University in 1993. In the fall of that year, she began her career as an English teacher, working for five years in Norwalk and Oregon, Ohio, before becoming engaged to Michael and moving to Cincinnati. There she secured a teaching position in the Oak Hills Local School District. Within the first few years of her 26-year career at OHLSD, she earned her master’s degree in educational administration from Xavier University that allowed her to serve in the capacity of an assistant principal, most recently at Oak Hills High School. She was proud to be a Highlander.

A beloved teacher, Lisa was a positive and life-changing force for thousands of students. Her superpower was making them feel seen and special. She enjoyed her students for who they were, and her warmth and compassion made them feel welcome to be their authentic selves. She left every student she met feeling inspired and motivated to do better, to be better.

In the role of administrator, she was just as much of an inspiration to her teachers and fellow principals. She used the evaluation process as an opportunity to help young teachers grow. She worked closely with them to discover their strengths and to teach them how to capitalize on those skill sets by calling on her knowledge of best practices. She could easily spot the strengths of her veteran teachers as well, and she called upon their expertise often because she wanted them to shine. Her bosses and fellow administrators valued her ability to disaggregate data and create color-coded spreadsheets that allowed them to determine areas of weakness and to develop plans to ensure student growth. Teachers and students alike always embraced these plans because Lisa rolled them out in creative, energetic, and inspirational ways.

To no one’s surprise, she was voted teacher of the year twice and was inducted into the Oak Hills Alumni and Educational Foundation Hall of Honor in 2024.

While her career accomplishments are impressive due to her unwavering commitment to education, they pale in comparison to her devotion to family and friends. She and Michael were a team. His passion for math, logic, and order balanced out her world of literature, creativity, and organized chaos. Their commonalities were far greater than their differences. Thanks to their deep desire to build strong connections with family and friends and to unite people through their marvelous ability to entertain, they built a life together filled with love, laughter, and endless hope. She could not be prouder of the three children they created and nurtured together: Gus, Zoe, and Drew. She did not want to leave them, but she took great comfort in the knowledge that their bright minds, compassionate souls, playful humor, and zest for life will ensure their future happiness.

When Lisa wasn’t teaching or nurturing the hearts and minds of her children, she enjoyed spending time with her extended family and countless friends. She liked to keep her house uber organized and always ready for guests. A more hospitable home would be hard to find. Whether planning themed games for Cousins’ Weekend or telling hilarious stories around the cul-de-sac in the old neighborhood, she was always ready to laugh and have fun. She was the best storyteller ever because everything always happened to her and she conveyed these awful occurrences with perfect build up, pacing, and timing, adding funny facial expressions, fitting gestures, and spot-on voice imitations that left her friends howling. She truly believed the saying, “The worst things that happen to you make for the best stories.”

Lisa approached every obstacle with positivity. She often said, “It’s only a crisis if you call it a crisis.” Even when facing stage four cancer, she spinned it into a positive. She called it her uninvited companion that was going to teach her valuable lessons and help her to grow as a person. Each day she put one foot in front of the other because “a body in motion stays in motion.” Each day she made a list of something she was going to accomplish at work, something she was going to accomplish at home, and something she was going to do that would bring her joy. And after every painful side effect and every failed treatment wrenched her heart and ours, she employed her mantra of “Onward” and continued to put one foot in front of the other. She taught us all how to persevere, how to stay hopeful, and most importantly how to love. 

We will miss your smile, your humor, your hospitality, your stories, your inspiration, your wisdom, your strength, and your positivity.

Lisa is survived by her husband Michael Schlomer, their three children Augustus, Zoe, and Andrew, her mother Bonita Laveck, her father- and mother-in-law Melvin and Mary Ann Schlomer, her brother and sister William Laveck and Sharon (Doug) Bolles, her sisters- and brothers-in-law Kathy (Mike) Tudor, Anne Schlomer, Laura (Gary) Francis, and her nieces and nephews Thomas Laveck, Lauren Laveck, Emily Tudor, Logan Tudor, and Dominic Francis.

She was preceded in death by her father Thomas Laveck.

Visitation will be held on Friday, Dec. 13 from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. in the Commons at Oak Hills High School, 3200 Ebenezer Rd, Cincinnati, OH, 45248.

Services will be held on Saturday, Dec. 14, at 10:00 a.m. at St. Dominic Parish, 4551 Delhi Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45238. 

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the “Adopt a Highlander” program at Oak Hills High School. Checks can be made out to Oak Hills High School with “Adopt a Highlander” in the memo line. Online donations can be made here.

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