Raymond  Schneider

Raymond Schneider, age 103, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, May 19, 2021. Ray was born in Scotland, South Dakota, on January 20, 1918. He was a farmer all of his life. After he sold his farm and moved to town, Ray was a familiar sight in Scotland as he made his way on his tractor to mow lawns.

Ray was predeceased by his parents, Agnes and Albert Schneider, his sisters, Helen Schneider Spielhagen and Vlasta Schneider Malle, and the love of his life, Erna Dangel, who died on April 24, 2020. In his final days, Ray said he was looking forward to seeing Erna again.

Ray is survived by his nephews, Gerard Spielhagen and his wife, Frances, Bernard Spielhagen and his wife Lana, his niece, Fredrica Spielhagen Quilla and her husband, Thomas, his nephew, and Paul Malle and his wife Connie. He is also survived by his cousin, Charles Pravecek and his wife, Kathleen, of Scotland, and their children and grandchildren, notably Frank and Brandi Pravecek and Barbara Pravecek Murphy.

Ray spent his entire life in Scotland, with a few trips to New York to see family. He lived a rich and full life that spanned over a century, having witnessed the events that have defined our national experience. In the months prior to his death, he recorded his remembrances of attending a one-room school house in a series of interviews with his nephew, Gerard, with the plan that those recollections will be part of a children’s book about life on the farm.