Robert M. Schneider completed his life on Earth on September 1, 2023. He was born on April 24, 1932, in Logan, Kansas to Samuel Waldo Schneider and Esther Peterson Schneider, both of whom predeceased him, and he grew up on the family farm in Logan. He liked to say he gained both his Bachelor’s degree and his wife, Virginia Puckett Schneider from Kansas State University, in 1954. He taught high school vocational agriculture and shop classes in both McDonald and Ellis, Kansas. In 1965, after completing his Master’s degree at Kansas State, he and Virginia and their 2 children, Kathy and Kenny moved to Nigeria, West Africa, through a joint program between Kansas State University, USAID, and Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria. Upon completing a two-year tour there, the family moved to East Lansing, Michigan, where he completed his Ph.D. at Michigan State University, and then returned to Nigeria for another 2 1/2-year tour. In 1972 the family moved to Frankfort, Kentucky, and Bob worked for the Kentucky Department of Education. In 1976 he accepted a position at Western Kentucky University, where he taught in the Department of Agriculture until his retirement in 1995. Bob and Virginia built a house on Lake St. George in Fairfield Glade, Tennessee, and lived there and in the Crossville area until his death.

Bob highly valued education as a way for anyone to improve their life and circumstances and he and Virginia sponsored multiple scholarship programs at several universities and organizations through the years. In retirement, he was well known in Fairfield Glade for being out puttering in his garage workshop making golf club road runners or bowling ball ladybugs, among other things. Bob and Virginia considered themselves extremely fortunate and blessed to have experienced many years of national and international travel and good health until the last year of his life.

In addition to his parents, Bob was predeceased by his sister, Mary Louise Wilcox; brother, Lewis Schneider; and son, Kenneth R. Schneider.

He is survived by his wife of 69 years, Virginia; daughter, Kathryn Fix (Tom); daughter-in-law, Wendy Samuelson Schneider; 4 grandchildren, Karyn Fix, Kevin Fix (Shawna), Zachary Schneider (Ashley), and Allison Schneider; brother, Donald A. Schneider (Jan); and sister-in-law, Janene Schneider.

A Memorial Service will be held at Fairfield Glade United Methodist Church on Saturday, September 9, 2023, at 10:00 AM.

In lieu of flowers, the family requested that donations be made to the Fairfield Glade United Methodist Church.