Walter M. "Walt" Schneider

Obituary of Walter M. Schneider March 1, 2015 Rev. Walter M. “Walt” Schneider, 82, of Sterling, passed away suddenly on Sunday, March 1 at Oswego Hospital. Born in Rochester, NY he was the son of Martin and Martina Hoffman Schneider. Walt received his BA Degree in Religious Theology from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, MO and Master’s Degree in Marriage, Family and Child Counseling from The American Institute of Family Relations in Los Angeles, CA. He served as pastor at churches in Villisca and Red Oak, IA; as chaplain in the U.S. Army from 1961–1981including Viet Nam and retired as a Lt. Colonel; he worked in family and individual counseling from 1981–1994 and was currently, since 2010, the pastor at Hope Community Lutheran Church in Red Creek, NY. Walt was an active member of local organizations including Town of Sterling Board; Sterling Historical Society, Fair Haven Chamber of Commerce and the American Legion Post in Red Creek where he served as chaplain. Surviving are his wife, Gisela Schneider of Sterling; a daughter, Deborah (Craig) Wasilius of Hagerstown, MD; a son, Paul (Yvette) Schneider of Reno, NV; grandchildren, Jessica and Erica Schneider; mother, Martina Schneider Roth of Rochester, NY; brothers, Robert (Chris) Schneider of Fair Haven, NY and Marty (Karen) Schneider of Hilton, NY; nieces and nephews. Calling hours are from 3 to 7 p.m. Friday, March 6 at Foster Funeral Home, 837 Cayuga Street in Hannibal. Services will be held 11 a.m. Saturday, March 7 at the Hope Community Church (Presbyterian Church), 6847 Main Street, Red Creek, NY. Memorial contributions may be made to the Oswego County Humane Society, 110 West Second Street, Oswego, NY 13126.