MySource:BobC/René Schoennauer Obituary

René Schoennauer

July 15, 1930 - Jan. 2, 2015 Fort Jones (CA)

René Marcel Schoennauer of Fort Jones, CA and a long-time Santa Cruz County resident, passed away peacefully on Friday, January 2 after a brief illness in Yreka, CA, surrounded by loved ones during the last moments of his life. He was 84.

René was born in San Francisco, CA on July 15, 1930 to parents Julia and Joseph Schoennauer, the youngest of three children, and raised in San Francisco and the Santa Clara Valley. At a young age he developed what would become lifelong interests in the ocean, wilderness, airplanes and boats, as well as a respect for animals. As a child, René brought home fish he caught off San Francisco piers and contributed to his family. He was fascinated by old prospectors' maps at the San Francisco Public Library, which inspired him and his cousins to explore various Northern California mountain ranges. René graduated from Lowell High School. He became interested in flying airplanes when his older sister Hope (Schoennauer) Brown's husband Jim took René on a private flight and performed aerobatic maneuvers. René made his first solo flight in 1947.

René served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War with the 1st Cavalry Division Air Section. Following his military service, René attended San Jose State College and graduated with a B.S. degree in Aeronautics. On Sept. 2, 1956, he married Gladys Pohlman of San Jose.

Following college, he was employed as an aeronautical engineer by Boeing Aircraft in Seattle, WA. Neither the chilly Seattle climate nor chillier constraints of corporate life were to René's liking so a year later he and Gladys moved to Campbell, CA and he went to work for Lockheed Aircraft in Sunnyvale, CA. One year later, René left Lockheed and purchased a carwash business with Gladys in the Willow Glen area of San Jose. Four years and three children later, they sold the carwash and relocated to a beach house that René built in Aptos, CA. Even though René had never built a kitchen cabinet, he purchased a custom cabinet business that he operated for 25 years. He built his expanding family's next home in Aptos in 1969. The following year René and Gladys had another daughter. His enduring passion for fishing and the ocean led René to build three fishing boats: the Happy Bottom, the Nancy Marie, and the Karen Lynne, a 45-foot ferrocement hull boat that his son Stephen and nephew Larry, among many others, helped build and later fish commercially. He was a regular presence at the Santa Cruz Harbor. René was also an original member of Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church in Soquel, CA. He served as "Exalted Leader" of the "October Bums," a fun-loving group of church friends who went on annual wilderness camping and hiking treks. He was also an avid snow skier and built two houses in Cold Springs, CA. He resided in Tuolumne County for several years. Later, René returned to his love of flying and built two experimental aircraft.

René and Paula Schoennauer were married on Dec. 6, 1997 and resided in Fort Jones, CA, where he took up alfalfa farming in the Scott Valley area of Siskiyou County. René loved cutting the fields alongside young field hands into his 80's. He was a member of the Experimental Aircraft Assoc. and a charter member of the Scott Valley Pilot's Assoc. near Shasta, CA.

René is survived by his wife, Paula, and his children: Renée Schoennauer of Capitola, CA; Nancy (Schoennauer) Swenson and husband Ken of Fairfield, CA, and their children Leanna and Ryan; Stephen Schoennauer and wife Laura of Twain Harte, CA, and Stephen's children Lynette, Lindsey, Levi, Luke, and Lisa; and Karen (Schoennauer) Streeter and husband Brad of Soquel, CA, and their children Kyle, Mikaela and Kiana; and six great-grandchildren – Kalena, Desiray, Chelsey, Madison, Aiva and Kendall. René was preceded in death by his older siblings, Arthur and Hope.

René lived by a simple precept provided by his mother: "Follow your heart and keep your hands busy." He was an extraordinary, creative and a gentle soul who loved his family. He saw humor in every situation and passed along his love of nature to his children. René will continue to be an inspiration to his family and friends. His name is listed on a wall at the Living Memorial Sculpture Garden at the base of Mt. Shasta, a place that was special to him. Until we see you again, Buck, we miss you and will love you forever.

Published in Santa Cruz Sentinel on Jan. 11, 2015