Service Details
Family and friends are invited to meet at Draeger-Langendorf Funeral Home, 4600 County Line Road, Mt. Pleasant, WI 53403 on Saturday, June 24th, for a memorial service celebrating Allan’s life, with visitation from 10:00 am until the service at 11:00 am.
The family plans a graveside service later this fall at the Moravian Cemetery in Ephraim, WI.
Memorial Suggestions
Memorial suggestions:
Bethany Lutheran Church
P.O. Box 707 Ephraim, WI 54211
The Ridges Sanctuary and Nature Center
8166 WIS-57
Baileys Harbor, WI 54202
Door County Land Trust
217 N. Fourth Ave.
Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235
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Dr. Allan F. Schneider, 97, of Mt. Pleasant, WI, and Sister Bay, WI, passed away peacefully at St. Monica’s Senior Living on June 9th, 2023 after a long, well-lived life with his wife and children by his side.
Allan was born in Chicago to Emory and Esther (Westgard) Schneider and was raised in Oak Park, IL. He graduated from Oak Park-River Forest High School and began his higher education journey at his beloved Beloit College where he pledged Beta Theta Pi Fraternity and eventually declared a major in Geology.
In 1947, some friends set him up on a blind date with a “cute freshman girl” from Milwaukee named Betty Lou Dorn, who, on August 26, 1950, became his wife, and were married for 72 years.
Allan graduated from Beloit College in 1948 with his B.S. in Geology, went on to obtain his Master’s of Science in Geology Degree from Penn State University in 1951, and finally earned his PhD in Geology from the University of Minnesota in 1957. Allan was a geologist, professor, scientist, conservationist, and author. He accepted teaching positions at Penn State, the University of Minnesota, Washington State University, and Indiana University and finished his career as a Professor of Geology Emeritus at the University of Wisconsin Parkside. Dr. Schneider took research positions with the U.S. Geological Survey, the Minnesota Geological Survey, the Indiana Geological Survey, and the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey.
Allan had a special place in his heart for Door County and its land. His ancestry was rooted there as his maternal great-grandparents, Peter and Anna Johnson, immigrated from Denmark shortly after the Civil War and settled in Ephraim, WI. Allan’s mother went to live with them and attended the one-room schoolhouse and the Moravian Church. He conducted numerous courses, workshops, and field trips for the Kenosha Public Museum, Neville Public Museum, The Ridges Sanctuary, several Wisconsin state parks, Ice Age Trail, Bjorklund (Lawrence University), and The Clearing.
Allan and Betty were dual members of both the Lutheran Church of the Resurrection in Racine, WI., and Bethany Lutheran Church in Ephraim, WI.
Allan was incredibly social and could speak about his interests for hours. He loved his work and referred to every person he met as a “friend.” He was passionate about protecting the land and worked tirelessly to teach others about the beauty and significance of the earth.
Allan is survived by his beautiful wife Betty Louise (Dorn) Schneider, three children, David Schneider, Doris (Paul) Rossmann, and James (Michelle) Schneider, five grandchildren, Adam Rossmann, Geoffrey (Amy) Rossmann, Alissa (Jessup) Fredrick, Haley Rossmann, and Kelli Schneider, and two great-grandchildren, Scarlett Manning, and Cassidy Rossmann. He was preceded in death by his father, mother, and brother Bruce Schneider.
Family and friends are invited to meet at Draeger-Langendorf Funeral Home, 4600 County Line Road, Mt. Pleasant, WI 53403 on Saturday, June 24th, for a memorial service celebrating Allan’s life, with visitation from 10:00 am until the service at 11:00 am.
The family plans a graveside service later this fall at the Moravian Cemetery in Ephraim, WI.
Memorial suggestions:
Bethany Lutheran Church
P.O. Box 707 Ephraim, WI 54211
The Ridges Sanctuary and Nature Center
8166 WIS-57
Baileys Harbor, WI 54202
Door County Land Trust
217 N. Fourth Ave.
Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235
David Backmann says
Dr. Schneider was a tough professor. He awarded me the lowest grade for a class that I ever received in college – a C. But I did not hold any animosity because the grade reflected my lack of effort. He imparted much knowledge to me about subjects such as how soil is created, plate tectonics and, most importantly, how Wisconsin’s beautiful and diverse natural features came to be. A goodly share of my love for my home state originated from Dr. Schneider’s geology lectures and field trips. My deepest condolences to his loved ones. God’s peace.
Dennis Wheeler, BA, UW-Parkside. 1971 says
I took several geology courses from Dr. Schneider at UW-Parkside and soon regarded him as not only the best professor ever had with his clear and well-organized style style but about the kindest person I had ever met. I’m so blessed to have known him.
Carla Wilks says
My husband, Jim, and I took several classes with him. His love of the subject spilled over to all of us in his class. We have looked at rocks, hills, stones, layers, with new eyes, thanks to him. It was good knowing him.
Maren Grow says
My sympathies to the family.
Nancy and Jeff Haman says
Doris and Ross, our condolences to you and your family. We never knew your father, but share his love of Door County.
Nancy and Jeff Haman
Kathleen Harris says
How I enjoyed learning from Dr Schneider. Always generous with his time, his knowledge. He led may hikes at Peninsula State Park and other places in Door County over the years, where I worked as park naturalist. Rest in peace, dear friend. My sincere condolences to Betty and the family.
Beth Spear says
I declared a geology major because of Dr. Schneider. I’ll never forget his storytelling! ♥️
Mary and Tom Holman says
We thank God for the opportunities we had to get to know Al and Betty when we were going to Resurrection in the 1970s. We pray that God would comfort all of his family and give them peace
Ron Stieglitz says
It is with great sadness that I noted Allan’s passing. I co-led a number of field trips and cooperated on several special courses with him over the years. It was always a pleasure to learn from him. He was most kind to me when I returned to Wisconsin at UW-M and later at UW-GB. He loved Door County, especially the Ridges, and we shared the passion.
Carolyn (Candy) Curtice says
Cousin Allan…Though we really only met each other several times over the past 70 years, we did have meaningful correspondence and telephone conversations. I will miss those chats. He had so much to offer about his adventures in glacial geology. He also had many tales to tell about our Westgard family history and personalities. Allan is/was the last person to know my mother when she was growing up. So, I guess the past has passed on to eternity. Having a living close relative was a pleasure. RIP Allan and my sincere condolences to his surviving family.