Rachel Lowell (Seamans) Schroeder of Marblehead died on Friday, October 23, 2026 after a long battle with cancer. She was 71.
She was born in Salem on November 14, 1954, the daughter of the late Peter and Anne Seamans of Marblehead, and spent her life in town, where she worked at several local businesses and was a familiar face to generations of customers. She gardened in whatever space she had and made it beautiful, read constantly and shared her books, and had a way of making people feel seen. Her rescue dog, Dottie, had her heart. Her family thanks the AA community for its friendship and support.
Two daughters survive her, Amy Shea, with her husband Michael, in North Andover, and Jane Jacobson, with her wife Rachel, in Los Angeles, along with a grandson, Jackson Shea. So do four siblings, Peter Seamans in Peabody, Polly Crowninshield in Marblehead, Rebekah Clark in Portland, Ore. and Campbell Seamans in Salem, and many nieces and nephews.
Arrangements are by the Murphy Funeral Home, Salem. The family suggests donations to the Northeast Animal Shelter.
Compiled from information published by Murphy Funeral Home. Photograph courtesy of the family via Murphy Funeral Home. This is our own summary, not the family’s obituary; read the full obituary and leave a condolence at the funeral home’s page on Legacy.com. Corrections: we will fix any error promptly.
