Marie Schneider

Marie A. Schneider died peacefully in her home in Pinetop, Arizona on Saturday, June 6, 2009. She was 96 years old and in excellent health until very recently. Marie was born October 2, 1913, to Louise and John Crosby Vickers at their family farm near Eagle, Nebraska. She attended school in Eagle and graduated from Peru State Teacher's College in Peru, Nebraska. She then became an elementary school teacher in Eagle. Marie married Dana J. Schneider on January 18, 1936, in Lincoln, Nebraska and they moved to Ogallala, Nebraska where Dana was an engineer on the dam that created Lake McConnahy. Their first child, Christie Ann, was born a year later in North Platte. When the dam was finished, Marie and Dana moved to Cleveland, Ohio, where a second child, Dana Jr., was born. Shortly after, they moved to Waukesha, Wisconsin, where Dana started his hydraulic manufacturing business, HUSCO, in a small one-room building. The business was a great success, and became world known, with plants in Canada, England and Japan. Dana had over one hundred original hydraulic patents that were the beginning of the use of hydraulics on heavy equipment and are still today standard equipment. Marie was always his strength. In the meantime, a third child, Timothy Scott, was born in near-by Milwaukee, and the family moved to Oconomowoc, Wisconsin and later to Oconomowoc Lake. Marie was an amazing and beautiful woman in all ways. She could do anything and everything, with beauty and grace, sewing her own and her daughter's beautiful clothes, taking care of her large and lovely flower garden as her own Mother had her vegetable garden on the farm in Nebraska. She loved flowers till the end of her life. She designed and decorated her own home and volunteered as a Blue Lady at the Oconomowoc Memorial Hospital for many years and made many beautiful Christmas decorations for the hospital fair held each August. She taught Sunday school, but most important, she gave love and care to her husband and children. Marie also loved sports, from swimming and water skiing, tennis, alpine skiing and she was the 9 hole champion at her golf course, Desert Forest in Carefree, Arizona until she was in her eighties. The Schneider family were among the first Wisconsinites to ski, and after coming to Aspen to ski and seeing the beauty of the area, purchased a home the in the late 50's. It was falling down, and they transformed it into a real beauty in Aspen's West End. They also built a home in Paradise Valley, Arizona, which was their home for 40 years. Dana died on February 27, 1979 and in 1987, Marie sold the Aspen home and then the one in Paradise Valley in 2003, and moved to Pinetop, Arizona to be close to her sons. Her daughter, Christie still lives in Aspen. Marie is survived by her daughter, Christie Kienast of Aspen; 8 grandchildren 11 great grandchildren; as well as nieces and nephews, all who she loved dearly. Her family was her life. Marie was preceded in death by her son, Dana Jr., on February 12, 2007 and her son, Tim on October 11, 2007; her parents; a brother, Eramus; a sister, Lorna. We will miss her sweet and loving smile, the sound of her dear voice, her happiness to see us, her words of caring and encouragement and the joy she brought to all of us in knowing we were loved. Private family services will be in Aspen at a later date.