Beloved teacher and her husband die in crash, NC school says. ‘Devastated beyond words’
A beloved first-grade teacher and her husband died when a driver crashed head-on into their SUV in North Carolina, officials said.
Stephanie Ann Schneggenburger, 55, was known as a “compassionate educator” who loved the outdoors and “dedicated her life to nurturing young minds.” She taught at Wallburg Elementary School, which mourned the tragic loss in a Facebook post.
“We can’t express how much Stephanie was loved and will be missed,” the school in the Winston-Salem area wrote Monday, Aug. 7. “To say the first grade team is a family is an understatement, and they, along with the school and community, are all devastated beyond words.”
Meanwhile, her husband — 56-year-old Bruce Louis Schneggenburger — is remembered as a loving grandfather and father.
“He was very passionate about his yard work, playing golf, and a lifelong Florida State fan,” according to an obituary that Hayworth-Miller Funeral Homes and Crematory shared on Legacy.com.
Bruce Schneggenburger’s life was cut short when he was behind the wheel of a Honda SUV on Aug. 6. He and his wife were going north on a highway “during heavy rain conditions,” according to the couple’s obituaries and the N.C. State Highway Patrol.
Officials said a southbound GMC pickup truck went across the median, causing it to veer into oncoming traffic and hit the married couple’s SUV head-on. Bruce Schneggenburger died at the scene, and his wife died at a hospital.
The 21-year-old pickup truck driver suffered minor injuries in the wreck, which was reported on U.S. Highway 221 in Ashe County. The driver was “arrested and charged with two counts of misdemeanor death by vehicle and failure to maintain lane control,” troopers wrote in a news release.
The deadly crash, which occurred three weeks before the start of the 2023-24 academic year, left Davidson County Schools reeling. Stephanie Schneggenburger joined the district in 2000 and showed an “unwavering commitment to her students,” according to school officials and an obituary on the Davidson Funeral Home website.
“Stephanie’s passing is a tremendous loss for her family, her friends, her school family, the entire community, and especially for the students who would have had the opportunity to experience her classroom this school year,” the district told McClatchy News in an emailed statement.
Wallburg Elementary School, which shared a photo of the teacher and her husband on Facebook, said it would “cherish her memory forever.” The post led to an outpouring of tributes from former students and parents.
“Our comfort is knowing that she and Bruce are happy and at peace,” the school wrote. “Stephanie was passionate about her God and faith, her family and friends, and especially her teaching.”
The Schneggenburgers reportedly attended Center Grove Church and lived in Advance, roughly 20 miles southwest of Winston-Salem.
This story was originally published August 9, 2023 at 10:46 AM with the headline "Beloved teacher and her husband die in crash, NC school says. ‘Devastated beyond words’."
