Susan Schneider

Schneider was born on January 24, 1964 in Marin County, California. Little is known about her family and childhood. She studied at a local high school and then enrolled at the University of California where she pursued a degree in graphic designing. However, she later transferred to the California College of Arts and received her Bachelor of Arts degree from there.

Following her graduation, Susan Schneider joined the workforce as a freelance graphic artist. She would work for several graphic designing firms over the course of the next eight years. In 1997, she founded Critical Eye Design, her own graphic designing firm, which predominantly does logo and brand development work.

While she ran her business, she also simultaneously began her attempts to create other forms of art. In 2006, she held her first exhibition. It received positive reviews and encouraged her to focus more on her art than on graphic designing. By 2010, she had established herself enough as an artist that she could afford to phase out her career as a designer.

As of 2018, her art has been displayed in seven solo exhibitions and seven group exhibitions. Furthermore, she has curated 11 and judged five shows. In 2012, she held private art lessons. A year later, she was invited to be a guest lecturer at Pricing Your Artwork workshop at Marin Catholic High School in Kentfield, California. She returned to Kentfield in 2016 and 2017 to serve as the guest lecturer at the Art Show Preparation workshop. Having been deeply influenced by the scenic beauty of her hometown, she primarily paints landscapes.

Prior to her relationship with Williams, Schneider had been married to businessman Richard Armusewicz. They married in the 1980s and have two children together. However, they divorced in 2001.

Schneider and Williams met in late 2008, prior to his heart surgery in March 2009. She later helped him recover at his home in California. They dated for the next two years, eventually marrying in a lavish ceremony on October 22, 2011, in St Helena, California.

They were married for three years. On August 11, 2014, Williams committed suicide by what his autopsy later ruled as "asphyxia". It also revealed that he had been suffering from "a recent increase in paranoia”. An examination conducted on his brain tissues exposed the possibility of "diffuse Lewy body dementia." According to Schneider, the disease was like “a terrorist” inside her late husband’s brain. As per his wishes, his body was cremated and his ashes were subsequently dispersed in San Francisco Bay.

In December 2014, following the death of her husband, Schneider embarked on a legal battle against Williams’ three children, Zachary, Zelda, and Cody, claiming that she was not getting enough money to maintain the house where she and Williams used to reside. As the case progressed, it encompassed other items once owned by Williams, including his bicycles, watches, and awards.

Williams’ children stated that their stepmother was “adding insult to a terrible injury” by attempting to alter the trust while Schneider maintained that she simply wanted to honor her late husband’s wishes. Eventually, the case was settled out of court with Schneider receiving “a few emotional items she requested, such as their wedding gifts, selected clothing items, a watch Williams often wore, plus the bike they bought together on their honeymoon.”