Scott Frederick Schneider

Scott Frederick Schneider, age 65, passed away on July 12, 2022. He was born to the late Carl William Schneider and Sarah Ahlstrand Schneider in Des Moines, Iowa on October 10, 1956. Scott fought a life-long battle with Becker muscular dystrophy and type 1 diabetes. Although it took him in the end, it is presumptuous to suggest that he ever “lost” this battle. Diagnosed at 14, having been told he would likely not live to see 25, Scott became determined to defy the odds and live his life to the fullest. He had a passion for life so strong that it shone through all adversity. Through hard work and determination, he far exceeded all expectations. In his 65 years, Scott would go on to be an accomplished athlete, a professional artist, a successful business owner, a motivational speaker, an activist, a philanthropist, devoted husband and father, and a hero to many. He graced the pages of the New York Times, the cover of Parade magazine, many a television screen, and even the oval office. The life he created for himself was beautiful, founded on his diverse passions: sports, art and people.

As a boy, he enjoyed being raised in the Episcopal Church, playing sports, and drawing. After graduating from Abraham Lincoln High School in Des Moines in 1974, Scott moved across the country to attend the Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida. Sarasota became a fixture in Scott’s life: some of his happiest memories were made there during regular family vacations in the decades to come. Upon graduating from Ringling in 1978 with a degree in commercial art, he went against his parents’ wishes and relocated to Houston, Texas where he would stay for the rest of his life. Here he accepted his first professional position at Oil and Gas Digest and was promoted to art director within a year. In 1982 he left the magazine to start his own graphic design company, Schneider Design Studio. Scott’s professional career culminated as the vice president of human resources at Goodwill Industries.

Contemporaneously, Scott continued to play and coach a multitude of sports, and when he was no longer able to play able-bodied sports due to the progression of his disease, he entered the burgeoning world of wheelchair sports in which he flourished. Scott qualified to represent Team USA during the 1984 Paralympics in New York and the 1988 Paralympics in Seoul, South Korea where he earned multiple gold medals in track and field. He continued to play wheelchair sports until his body would no longer allow it and remained a coach and mentor until his death. Most notably, he was an integral member of the Houston Rollin’ Rockets and the Houston Challengers where he both played and coached for many years.

Scott had a strong sense of civic duty. He engaged in tireless volunteer work for the Houston Center for Independent Living, the Coalition for Barrier Free Living, TIRR, Goodwill Industries and the Muscular Dystrophy Association. During his involvement in the Muscular Dystrophy Association, Scott became friends with the late Jerry Lewis and was featured as a spokesperson on the annual Labor Day Telethon. In his continuing pursuit to fulfill his civic duty, Scott became an activist and business liaison for the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, during which time he would meet with president George H. W. Bush and advocate for the equality of his fellow citizens with disabilities.

Scott was a fiercely dedicated husband and father, and he was considered family by so many more who were not bound by blood; still, he loved them all the same. Of all his accomplishments, in his own words, he was proudest of the marriage to his wife Patricia Warman of Houston in October 1982 and the birth of their daughter Elizabeth in December 1991. Scott’s life was extraordinarily full, and impossible to capture in its breadth. The type of man who never met a stranger, he made friends wherever he went. Scott was simply unforgettable. Among his legion of friends were some famous names and faces, but that was never his goal. Every person he met was given the same respect, be they a stranger on the sidewalk or the president. His genuineness was unmatched, his smile wide and bright. His warmth continues to radiate, the afterglow undoubtedly leaving the world a better place than it was when he entered it.

The final years of Scott’s life were not without struggle. A study in perseverance, he showed us what it meant to appreciate life, to make the most out of each and every day. This is, perhaps, his greatest legacy and certainly what he saw as his life’s purpose. May he be remembered where he was happiest: outside with the sunshine on his shoulders, sitting amongst the flowers, clad in one of his signature Hawaiian shirts. If he could leave you with any parting wisdom, he would tell you to follow the golden rule, “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

Scott was preceded in death by his sister-in-law Nancy Harper Schneider in 2006, nephew Jordan Schneider in 2016 and many beloved furry friends. He is survived by his wife of 39 years Patricia Warman Schneider; daughter Elizabeth Sagebiel (and her husband J. Chris Sagebiel); grandchildren Jameson and Lilirose Sagebiel; brothers Dr. Joseph Schneider and Steven Schneider (and his wife Mary Schneider); nieces Stacie DuFour and Lannie Warman; nephews Scott and Michael Schneider; great-nephew Trace Warman; grand-niece Morgan Warman; and dogs Pig and Harry.

In lieu of traditional remembrances, the family is requesting that donations be made in Scott’s name to the Muscular Dystrophy association. Donations may be sent to:

Muscular Dystrophy Association

WEB PO Box 97075

Washington, DC 20090-7075

Online giving: https://mda.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donate.event&eventID=1289&_gl=1*151fq93*_ga*NjQxODU2NDQ5LjE2NTg3NzM5MTE.*_ga_MLD8RSHHKE*MTY1ODc3MzkxMS4xLjAuMTY1ODc3MzkxMS4w&_ga=2.41358949.639453600.1658773911-641856449.1658773911

A celebration of life for Scott will be held Saturday, July 30, 2022 at 2:00 PM at The Hunters Creek Chapel at Earthman Funeral Directors, 8303 Katy Freeway, Houston, Texas 77024.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.earthmanhunterscreek.com for the Schneider family.