Paul L. Schneider

Written by Eileen J. (Schneider) Heringer

I would also like to take this time to thank each and every one of you for being here. I know many of you traveled a great distance to be here and honor Paul’s memory. The out-pouring of love for Paul was quite over whelming. Within minutes of sending out my email to notify many of you, my G-mail box and telephone were exploding. It’s very apparent that Paul was not just liked, but rather loved, by all of you. Several of you couldn’t control the flow of tears, grief for the loss of Paul but also happy tears for the fact that he is no longer suffering and is now in a much better place in the arms of God in everlasting peace, light, and joy.

All of you knew the “adult Paul” with his infectious youthful humor. I would like to share the younger years of Paul. I am only 2 years younger than him and have many wonderful memories of our childhood. Since this is a very emotional day, I’d like to ask our son, Todd, to read you the remainder of Paul’s Eulogy and Biography.

Paul was born shortly after Valentine’s Day in 1952 at Good Samaritan Hospital in Cincinnati. We lived in a 2 story home in the Clifton neighborhood very close to the University of Cincinnati and just a few blocks from our Grandparents, Paul and Emma Schneider. Ironically, we lived just a few blocks from Marie Bachman, the grandmother of Paul’s future wife, Mary Kelley. It wasn’t until Paul and Mary started dating that we realized that at times we had played at our house or Grandma & pa’s house, our playmates were Mary and her brother, Tim. In fact, our Grandparents frequently picked up Marie and took her to Mass with them on Sundays. How is that for a small world??!!!!

Anyway, we lived in that house until I was 4 and Paul was 6. I don’t remember a lot but I do recall that Paul would “help” our mailman deliver the mail. Our Mother always wondered about those times because Paul NEVER stopped talking. Just what was he telling the mailman??!!

When we had been especially good, we could walk a few blocks to Mrs. Geyer’s corner store for penny candy. One time we were not allowed to get candy for a week because my older, smarter brother showed me how to light toilet tissue with a match and float the burning “pretty” out the window. Mom was not happy. He was so so smart…he also taught me that I didn’t actually have to sleep when we went to bed for our naps - we could just put a little wet soap under our eyes and Mom would see that we were well rested - Yeah, not so much.

In 1958 we left the city life behind and moved out to the country. It was WONDERFUL! We lived on a one mile dead end street - no street lights - no sidewalks - no city water - and surrounded by woods, creeks, lakes and farms. We played baseball in Mr. Ernst”s massive front acreage and we played tackle football in Mr. Holtkamp’s alfalfa field after the hay was baled. We pet the cows and horses at Mrs. Neighard’s, Mrs. Snyder’s, and Dr. Test’s farms, and we helped collect the eggs at Mrs. Paul’s farm.

Winter always brought a ton of snow. We built snowmen, forts, and had snow ball fights. We had to walk to the bottom of the one mile mountain hill of our road to catch the school bus and that was not so much fun in the snow and freezing rain! We would go sledding and do our best to steer onto the bridge over the creek or end up freezing wet. When we got older, our love of the snow turned to hate! Dad would make us shovel off the the driveway every hour. Paul would even pay me a WHOLE QUARTER to do his shift of shoveling!

Regarding Paul’s education, when we lived in the city, he attended St. Monica’s Catholic school. When we moved to the country, he went to St. Bernard Catholic School. When it was my turn to go to school with my big brother, the year 1954 turned out to be a huge year for the Baby Boomers and I could not go to school with him as they were already over-crowded. I cried that whole first year and Paul would tease me (and make me cry) saying I was “Catholic” 2 days a week (religion class on Saturday and church on Sunday) and I was “public” the other 5 days”…and well, he was all “Catholic” the entire week, and hence better than me. It was during this time….hold on now ….Paul was an altar boy for Mass.

We eventually went to the same high school, but by then he was too cool to be seen with me as with most teenage siblings.

After high school, Paul attended the Ohio College of Applied Science where he earned his Associate Degree in Engineering. Our mother worked as a hospital admitting clerk at Good Samaritan Hospital. They bought a used car for him and he got the job of mail clerk at Good Samaritan. It was there that he met Mary, a student nurse. Mary had a date with the front desk information clerk, Joe, to go sky diving. At the last minute, Joe was unable to go, so Paul stepped in to save the day! All the rest is history and they were married in a Catholic church in Mason, Ohio, Mary’s home town, on March 23, 1973. Before they were dating, Mary had enlisted in the Navy and became a Navy nurse. Shortly after they were married, they moved from Ohio to Anaheim, CA where Mary was stationed.

Once living in California, Paul got a job at Fluor and some of you know him from that time. He thoroughly enjoyed that job and was thrilled to work on the Alaskan Pipeline, except for the cost of food in Alaska!!

Paul was beloved by many friends, work colleagues, and family. He was outgoing, friendly, quick-witted and easy to get to know. He excelled at baseball and had a love of all sports and collecting sports memorabilia. He enjoyed bowling and as a young man in Cincinnati, bowled several 300 games! He also loved golf and deep sea fishing.

I was fortunate enough to move to San Diego in 1976 and was only 2 hours from Paul and Mary, who had bought a beautiful new home on Sand Bar Circle in Anaheim. It was in this home that they raised a Yorkshire Terrier, a talking Parrot, and finally, much to Paul’s thrill and delight, had a baby boy, Patrick Bryan Schneider on July 13, 1983. For Paul, the sun rose and set with his baby boy. As Patrick grew older, they enjoyed fishing trips, golf, and deep sea fishing. Paul wouldn’t miss one of Patrick’s soccer games for anything and Patrick became quite a skilled player. Life was nothing short of perfect!

I don’t know the year, but I believe Paul was pirated from either Fluor or Parsons by Jeff Christianson to work for RTD (Rapid Transit District). Paul also thoroughly enjoyed this job and his co-workers. From there Paul worked at MWD (Metro Water District) and MTA, (Metro Transit Authority). It seems many of the same people traveled and worked at all of these jobs the same as Paul. He loved his jobs, his bosses, his co-workers and life in general. Mary had become great friends with another nurse, Kay Gladson. Paul quickly became friends with her husband, Don, and a long and happy friendship was forged.

Mary’s health began to decline over several years and she passed away unexpectedly in May of this year. Paul had to retire in 2014 when his health began a steady decline and I know I speak for all of us here- it was a complete shock when he passed this September.

Paul always kept in touch with a phone call, an email, or a joke….or many jokes! The cornier jokes were a direct descendant from our father, also a Paul Schneider. Paul found humor in the presence of adversity and he enhanced the lives of those around him. He had a hearty laugh and touched the lives of many with his humor and plentiful supply of jokes, both spoken and emailed, and that will be sorely missed. I will also miss having my brother call me every April 5th to wish me a happy birthday. You see, when I was 10 years old and my Dad had to give the doctor my date of birth for me to be admitted for an appendectomy, he said April 5th, not my actual birthday of April 7th. When our Dad died in 2000, Paul kept up Dad’s joke birthday calls on April 5th. I will think of Paul every April 5th. In conclusion, I’d like to read the poem, “When I’m Gone”, by Mrs. Lyman Hancock.

When I'm Gone

by Mrs. Lyman Hancock

When I come to the end of my journey

And I travel my last weary mile

Just forget if you can, that I ever frowned

And remember only the smile

Forget unkind words I have spoken

Remember some good I have done

Forget that I ever had heartache

And remember I've had loads of fun

Forget that I've stumbled and blundered

And sometimes fell by the way

Remember I have fought some hard battles

And won, ere the close of the day

Then forget to grieve for my going

I would not have you sad for a day

But in summer just gather some flowers

And remember the place where I lay

And come in the shade of evening

When the sun paints the sky in the west

Stand for a few moments beside me

And remember only my best