Gary D. Schneider

Mr. Gary D. Schneider, of Bay City and Paxton, Nebraska, passed away following a lengthy illness Wednesday September 30, 2015 at his residence with his loving wife at his side after spending his final hours being comforted by his family. Gary was 77 years old. The son of the late Glenn and Violet (Seigrist) Schneider, he was born on December 17, 1937 in Roscommon, MI. For 50 years Gary was a farmer and rancher in Paxton, Nebraska where he owned the Schneider Land and Cattle Company. Throughout his career, Gary was an advocate of land and wildlife conservation and preservation, and personally planted 100's of trees and shrubs on his property. He was a pilot and enjoyed traveling, hunting, scuba diving and horses. Gary loved coming back to Bay City to visit his family and many friends. While in Bay City he attended Grace United Methodist Church. He was also a lifetime member of the Elks Lodge.
On April 21, 1962 Gary married Bonnie C. Thompson and she survives him along with his two daughters, Kim M. Schneider of Bay City and Billie Jo (James) Traxler of Newaygo, MI; his grandchildren, Kara Wildie, John Traxler and Jeremiah Traxler; a great-grandson, Caden Traxler; two brothers, Lynn "Rocky" (Jan) Schneider and John Schneider both of Bay City; two brothers-in-law, Jack Thompson and Rex (Carol) Thompson; and his niece, LeAnn (John) Peterson of Grand Rapids. Besides his parents, Gary was also preceded in death by his sister, Glenda Chandler; and a nephew, Tim Chandler.
Gary's family would like to extend their heartfelt thanks to their very special family friend and his caregiver, Deborah Crowl.
The Funeral Service will take place at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, October 3, 2015 at Grace United Methodist Church, 4267 S. Two Mile Rd., Bay City, MI 48706. Officiating will be Rev. Eric Kieb. Friends may call at the Gephart Funeral Home, Inc. on Friday from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Mr. Schneider will lie instate at the church on Saturday from 10:00 a.m. until the time of service. A graveside interment service will take place later at the Paxton Cemetery in Paxton, Nebraska. For those who so desire, memorial contributions may be made to Grace United Methodist Church or to Paxton United Methodist Church. www.gephartfuneralhome.com