John Elmore Schier

John Elmore Schier passed away at his home in Austin, Texas, on April 9, 2019. Born in Del Rio, Texas, on October 1, 1941, John was the third child, and eagerly awaited son, of Elmore and Ruth Schier. He was brought up in Falfurrias and Corpus Christi, Texas, growing up as the fair-haired child in the family, though he was a notoriously mischievous one. He loved pestering his older sisters, Doris and Evelyn, and making trouble with his beloved cat, Shasta. John’s parents were so proud of their son, and also of his many academic accomplishments: a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Rice University, and later a Masters of Business Administration from Stanford.

As a young businessman, John traveled the world and lived in many places, making lifelong friends along the way. Eventually, his travels took him to Tokyo, Japan, where he met the love of his life, Patricia Anne Shaver. John and Pat married in 1973 and moved to Austin, where they spent 45 happy, devoted years together. John was a marvelous husband. He adored Pat and showed it daily. He always encouraged her to pursue her passions, such as creating a children’s book business; it not only impacted the lives of children all over Austin and Round Rock, whose families purchased her carefully curated collections, but also enriched their school libraries and classrooms.

John was a brilliant, kind man, who had a successful finance, sales, and engineering career, working for Texas Instruments, DSC, and later Cisco Systems, in several countries and states. He authored multiple patents, crafted many high-dollar business deals, and led countless project and program teams to notable success during his long career. Most importantly, he embodied kindness and generosity in his actions at work, always lending a hand or taking extra time to help his co-workers.

John and Pat raised two daughters, Elizabeth Ruth and Christina Joanne, who both adored and were close to their dad. John loved being a father and always put his family ahead of everything else. Even with John’s commitment to his career, he managed to serve as a chaperone on school trips, attend father-daughter Girl Scout dances, and buy and haul a horse trailer to take his girls to horse shows on the weekends. He encouraged and supported his girls in all their interests, guiding them gently with kind words and a sense of humor. He loved his children unconditionally, as they do him.

John also loved fast cars, great deals, and a good project. He had many hobbies, such as collecting coins, and searching for the best possible deal for anything he bought, but mostly, he loved cars. John restored his cherished Karmann Ghia in the late 70s and early 80s, only giving it up once he needed space for children’s car seats. He revived this passion later in life, buying several sports cars along with his elderly mother, who shared his love of cars. Though his mother could no longer drive, he would pick her up and ride around in their purchases with the top down and the music up on beautiful weekends. John enjoyed all kinds of construction projects, building his girls a life-sized play house in the yard, and later teaching them how to use tools by helping them build their dogs’ houses. A lesser known fact is that John loved cats. He had several throughout this life: Shasta, Tom Cat, Peaches, Dusty, and Grey Kitty, all of whom he was often caught teasing or playing with, just as he had done as a child in Falfurrias.

John will be remembered for his love of family and friends, as well as his humor and quick wit. He loved telling and hearing a good story and was able to find the humor in almost any situation. Most of all, John will be remembered as a loving, generous soul who genuinely invested his time and energy in others, from helping a stranger in need, to caring for his mother, to cheering his daughters on in their lives. He was a selfless man, who wanted the best for all of those he loved, and he will be desperately missed.

John is survived by his wife Patricia, daughters Christy Schier and Elizabeth Machado, son-in-law Jim Machado, grandchildren Carson and Josh Machado, sister Evelyn Boggan, nephews and nieces Jeff Boggan, Lisa Menke, Jacque Finster, John Boggan, Lynda Murski, Jim Warburton and Robert Warburton. He also leaves behind a close-knit, loving neighborhood of friends, with whom he raised his children and shared his remarkable life journey. The world is a better place because John lived in it, and it will never be the same without him.