Lynn B. (Bernius) Schiff

Lynn B. Schiff

(nee Bernius) Beloved wife of 57 years to John J. Schiff Jr., loving mother of John J. Schiff III, Marguerite (Karl) Gieseke and Charles (Christine) Schiff, dear grandmother of Carl "CJ", Phoebe, Charlotte, Anna (Nathan), Mary, Lillian, James, Henry, Rosie, Jack, William and great-grandmother of Virginia, dear sister of Craig Bernius, dear aunt of Jeffrey and Richard Bernius, David and Matthew Rheingold, Lauren Fernandez, Sally Park, Julia Schiff. Passed away Tuesday, October 27, 2020. Age 77.

Lynn grew up on the West side of Cincinnati where she attended Western Hills High School and graduated in the class of 1961. During her time at West High, she made many dear friends who enjoyed her loyal friendship and sense of mischievous fun. She held many achievements, Lynn was an honor roll student, a competitive swimmer and a talented artist all while holding tight to her radiant love of life, and sense of humor. She made her friends giggle in church and didn’t mind getting in trouble for it.  She loved horses throughout her youth and rode gaited horses for Dr. Don Jacobs, who lived close to her family. She held many of those dear school friends close until her final days. One of those fortunate people she met and held onto was her loving husband Jack, who asked her to the movies during Latin class sophomore year and then the two built a life together afterwards.

Lynn and Jack married while in college and started a family while living in Columbus and later returning to Cincinnati. She loved being a mother but also held onto her own interests and passions. One night as a young mother, she stayed up all night painting a beautiful farm scene on the walls of her kitchen that become the envy of the entire neighborhood. The life size farm animals she painted became a magnet to the children who lived close and loved parading through the house to see the Schiff’s farm kitchen.

When her youngest was a teen, she went back to school to earn her degree from the Art Academy of Cincinnati. She earned a BFA in painting and many more new friends who shared her love of art and the creative process. She was a serious and hardworking student who loved being surrounded by other artists, both her fellow students and her teachers. It was here where she developed her love of painting big and expressively in oils on the largest stretched canvas that could fit in the back of her station wagon and be easily transported. She loved painting landscapes with low horizons, horses, dogs and children…a few of her favorite things.

After graduating from The Art Academy, Lynn turned her sights a bit north of Cincinnati to a former cattle farm in Lebanon Ohio with the idea of developing a horse farm. A dear friend whose opinion she valued, toured this farm with her while it was on the market and thought that it needed more work than even the hardiest of optimists could handle. He advised her against the purchase, but Lynn chose to ignore him as she saw the land and barn as a future treasure. Clover Hill Farm became her most ambitious project and a true labor of love. As a rider and lover of horses since she was a young girl, Lynn built the farm she imagined in her childhood and made it her own place of happiness. She loved that she developed a farm full of practical, hard working people and beautiful horses, with a healthy smattering of goofy dogs and was unapologetic in naming the most unique and adorable Oscar as her favorite hound. While Clover Hill is a true working farm, she also made sure it was a joyful place and hosted many farm parties both large and small. In recent years, she held weekly lunches gathering with her beloved farm family at a giant table that she christened The Table of Knowledge. All were welcome, no topic was off limits, and laughs were plentiful. She was funny, no-nonsense, and the best friend you could ever have. She made certain that Clover Hill Farm was a welcoming place full of fun and adventure and some of her favorite hours were those spent on horseback with her daughter and grandchildren.

In time, she began a racehorse operation as a vital addition to Clover Hill Farm and extended the original land parcel to include the breeding and selling of world regarded Kentucky Bred Racehorses. Lynn enjoyed the excitement of the horse sales in Kentucky but her favorite part of the business was driving to Lexington in the early cold springtime to visit the new foals.

Lynn was loved and adored by many. She had an infectious sense of fun and humor that drew people to her. She made everyone she met feel as if they were the most important person in the world. She would happily introduce herself to new friends as Bamma the Grandma, the nickname that her grandchildren lovingly called her and one that she embraced with gusto. She loved that her grandchildren’s friends also affectionately called her Bamma or Bams and would shower them with heartfelt attention. She adored babies and teenagers, she was a huge advocate and cheerleader for all young people.

Lynn chose not to allow the evil that is cancer to color her positive attitude and continued to live her fullest life while undergoing harrowing treatments. She instead decided to embrace her nurses and medical team as dear new friends, while she hated the circumstance that brought them together, she loved the people who helped her during her times of health hardship.

A celebration of Lynn’s life will be held at the Norman Chapel at Spring Grove Cemetery on Thursday November 5th, visitation beginning at noon with a service to follow at 12:45. A private graveside service for the family will precede the memorial service. Funeral arrangements by Vitt, Stermer &Anderson Funeral Home. For a livestream of the service please go to https://vimeo.com/event/429909/cffb919a09 An outdoor tent will be on site adjacent to Norman Chapel to accommodate guests in a socially distanced manner to watch the service on monitors in the tent. Mask wearing is required of all guests in attendance. For an online obituary please visit vittstermeranderson.com

In lieu of flowers or charitable donations, please honor Lynn’s generous spirit by partaking in an act of kindness of your own volition, Lynn would especially enjoy that the beneficiary be a young person or a furry friend, as she was a champion of both.