Lisa H. Webber Schumacher

lisaOn January 16th, 2022, Lisa H. Webber Schumacher passed peacefully that afternoon in her home surrounded by her loving family. She courageously fought a nearly two-year battle with cancer, all the while continuing to be the most amazing and inspiring woman. She fought so gracefully and was strong until the very end, cherishing the life that she had and made most of the time she was given. 

Lisa was loved by so many people, some of which include; the community in which she lived and worked in, her former students from her own preschool, Lil’ Buttons, as well as the Chebeague Island School where she ended her teaching career, and most importantly the individuals she considered her friends and family. 

Lisa was born into the family of Mary Ellen and Harland Webber, in the city of Portland, Maine. She was the youngest of four siblings, with two older brothers, Bryan and Scott Webber, and her older sister and best friend, Lori Dimick. Lisa and Lori had the best kind of sisterhood where they leaned on each other throughout their lives and created the best memories. The older they got, the more bonded they became and their lives were intertwined ever more. 

After graduating with her Associates from Westbrook College, Lisa went on to work for many different businesses, however not waiting very long before welcoming her oldest son Corey Lanphear into the world. With Corey now in her life she knew motherhood was one of the greatest gifts she could have ever received and wanted to expand her family. Not long after Corey was born she welcomed Cameron Lanphear, her second son and baby boy. She later went on to start her own preschool, Lil’ Buttons, where she was a teacher for nearly 15 years. Although Lisa’s life had lots of adventures while raising her sons, she wasn’t ready for motherhood to end. Eventually that led her to the opportunity of having her last child. At the age of 33, nearly 10 years from giving birth to her oldest child, Lisa welcomed a baby girl into the world, Cayleynn Schumacher. With three children of her own, and raising them as a single mother, Lisa was living a life most couldn’t handle. Until one day when she met the man who she knew was her forever.

Lisa and Chuck began dating nearly 20 years ago. Though they knew each other locally, it wasn’t until they both had families of their own and time had passed until they rekindled their friendship. Their first date was set to be dinner and a movie, where they would get to know each other. They instantly hit it off, so well in fact that after dinner they spent the rest of the night talking and missed the movie. From that point on they knew they were each other's forever. With Lisa having three children of her own and Chuck having two of his, their families became blended and were united as one. 

Lisa and Chuck had similar situations with raising their children, even so that it was something that brought them together. Although they never had the opportunity of having children of their own together, they most certainly raised their children as one family. From the start they knew that they were supposed to be together. That this was a love worth living for. It wasn’t until 2020 where their lives changed drastically, making them reflect on the life they were living. family

At the beginning of the year, January of 2020, Chuck was diagnosed with ALS. This was a shock for all, especially his loved ones. With the world being in such chaos with the rise of COVID-19, Lisa took that time to spend quality time with Chuck. It wasn’t until she was finally able to get back to work when something didn’t seem right. In May of 2020, without any inkling that something could be more than a mild illness, Lisa received the unfortunate news that she too was going to face her own battle. That month she was diagnosed with a rare blood cancer called Myelodysplastic Syndrome, otherwise known as MDS. With both having life altering illnesses, the two decided that after waiting for as many years as they have, they wanted to spend what remained of their lives as husband and wife. Which is why on June 1st, 2020, Lisa and Chuck officially married and were able to celebrate their love for one another. 

As many know from her personality, Lisa was strong and the ultimate fighter. She knew that this wasn’t going to be an easy battle, but she wasn’t going to stop trying. Shortly after being diagnosed, she began her journey of chemotherapy at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. In November of 2020 she went forward with a bone marrow transplant, one that would hopefully cure her disease and give her a new life. Though it was difficult, Lisa briefly went into remission in early 2021. It was shortly after we found the cancer had returned. She continued with various chemotherapy treatments over the coming months, some of which involved time spent in the hospital and time away from family. There was a goal throughout this journey of getting back into remission. However, with her body being stronger than the donor, the cancer numbers progressed further into Acute Myeloid Leukemia, also known as AML, an even tougher battle to fight. 

Lisa persisted throughout all of this and never let the fear deter her away from fighting the long battle. Her courage and bravery were admirable seeing the circumstances she was faced with. She had her loved ones right by her side until the end. From her parents; to her best friend/sister, her three children, step-children, grandchildren, and many friends. Lisa had so much support from such incredible people. Her children stepped up for their mother and were there when she needed them most. With her daughter Cayley becoming her caretaker and attending her appointments with her, but also sharing so many fond memories of adventures. To her son Cameron, who helped with medical and emotional needs, but would love to spend time cooking dinner with one another. And lastly her eldest son Corey, providing her with long meaningful talks over the phone, as well as wonderful visits with his children and her grandchildren, Oliver and Camillia. 

charlielisaShe was first and foremost a daughter, a mother, a Meme, but also an incredible friend. Not once was she going to ever let this disease define her. Though her body wasn’t strong enough to continue on with treatments, the will to fight lasted until the very end. Lisa spent the last few weeks of her life surrounded by her family, celebrating her birthday and Christmas how she always loved to, together. It wasn’t long after her husband ended up passing away from his battle with ALS that she too was nearing the end. After one final brief stay in the hospital,  Lisa returned home where she was able to spend what remaining time she had left. 

Even though there was never going to be enough time spent with Lisa in our lives, we know that she lived a life of love. She was so kind and inspirational, becoming an incredible light in so many people's lives. She will always hold a special place in our hearts and will be so fondly remembered. There are so many people that we would like to thank who have been a part of Lisa’s journey, especially to her team at Dana-Farber. We want to thank her doctors and nurses who went above and beyond to do what they could to help throughout this journey. Especially to Dr. Jacqueline Garcia and Dr. Mary Gerard, both of whom held a dear place in Lisa’s heart and were there for her until the very end. She was so proud of her team and was so comforted by their warmth and support. In lieu of flowers, we kindly ask for donations to be made in Lisa’s name to the Dana- Farber Cancer Institute, in hopes that we can support the foundations to one day cure cancer. We hope to host a celebration of life for Lisa this Spring, as we know how much that time of year meant to her.