Friends of Sheffield Cemetery received a donation from the Orven Schanzer Trust Fund to further the cemetery’s restoration projects.
Orven Schanzer was a 20th Century Fox TV and film editor originally from Kansas City, and much of his family is buried at Sheffield Cemetery.
Schanzer and his daughter, Lisa Gilman-Schanzer, from Los Angeles, California, had previously been recognized for their support for Friends of Sheffield Cemetery at the 2015 Restoring Honor Campaign Celebration. Schanzer continued his support by leaving a gift to Friends of Sheffield Cemetery from his trust fund after his passing. Gilman-Schanzer said that her father wanted to inspire others to do the same.
Friends of Sheffield Cemetery Chair Spencer Schere expressed the organization’s gratitude for the Schanzer Trust’s generous gift. In Schanzer’s honor, his name was inscribed on a plaque placed on one of the pews in the renovated Sheffield Chapel.
In 2007, Schanzer and Gilman-Schanzer attended Sheffield Cemetery’s Veterans Day ceremony. This marked his first return trip to Kansas City since he and his family left in 1946 to move to Los Angeles. There, they met former Friends of Sheffield Chair Rickie Haith and became good friends. The Schanzers became involved in the restoration of the landmark cemetery and its historic chapel, which was built in 1910. They made annual visits from Los Angeles to see the restoration progress. Schanzer’s family, including his father and brother, are buried at the cemetery in a family plot.
Before the restoration of the cemetery, Schanzer was unhappy with the state of its grounds and handicapped-inaccesible stairs and pathways, believing they were not keeping with Jewish ethics. He had trouble navigating the cemetery with his walker and wheelchair. Schanzer donated handrails so that mourners with disabilities can safely visit the cemetery, and he donated to help the restoration of the stone pillars at the cemetery’s front gate.
Renovation of the Sheffield Cemetery chapel and caretaker apartment was also necessary, with $100,000 needing to be raised before work could begin. Haith, optimistic that the money could be raised, felt that Jewish actor and Kansas City-native Ed Asner could raise funds by headlining a fundraiser. Asner had family members buried at Sheffield Cemetery.
Asner, a star of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and “Up,” had gone to Hebrew school with Haith’s husband, Dr. Edward Haith, and his brother, Sam Haith, both of blessed memory.
Haith asked the Schanzers if they knew Asner through their links in the entertainment industry, but Lisa Gilman-Schanzer told Haith that she never sees movie stars and did not know Asner.
That would change, however, when one afternoon, back in California, Schanzer and Gilman-Schanzer stopped at a local café. Gilman-Schanzer spotted Asner and introduced herself. She told him about the condition of Sheffield Cemetery and that Rickie Haith of Kansas City had been trying to reach him about the restoration project. She also left him with a card for her and her father’s charity, Ambor Schanzer Fight Against Neuropathy, which included parts of Schanzer’s career that overlapped with Asner’s. Asner acted in and Schanzer edited episodes of TV series “Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea” and “The Fugitive.”
Many of Schanzer’s other editing credits were listed on the card, including episodes of “Daniel Boone” and “The Invaders.” He also was an uncredited editor on films such as “A Yank in Viet-Nam,” “The Day the Earth Stood Still,” “The Seven Year Itch” and “The Girl Can’t Help It.”
Haith called Asner the next morning, and Asner offered to do his one-man show, “FDR,” as a fundraiser for Friends of Sheffield Cemetery. The fundraiser with Asner exceeded their expectations, raising $120,000. The renovation of the chapel was able to begin, resulting in a place for services in inclement weather, or visitation.
Friends of Sheffield Cemetery is in keeping with Jewish ethics to care for the deceased, one of the highest mitzvot. Those interested in donating to Friends of Sheffield Cemetery can send a check to Friends of Sheffield Cemetery-Jewish Community Foundation, Attn: Antoinette, 5801 West 115th St. Suite 104, Overland Park, KS 66211.
