Tribute

John David “Dave” Schneider was born in 1951 and passed away peacefully at home in Shawnigan Lake, on September 26, 2021 after a lengthy illness. He loved his family, motorcycles, cars, dogs and rock music.

He is survived by his wife, JoAnne, his sister, Mary (Harv) and his blended family, of whom he was very proud: Leslie (Dave), Robyn (Art), Charmaine (Jeff), Brad (Emily) and seven grandchildren.

Dave was born into the family of John, Mina, and his sister, Mary, Schneider. They originally lived in Kelowna, but Dave’s father became a postmaster and they moved many times during his childhood. He lived in: Haney, Yellowknife, Rossland (twice), Prince Rupert and Prince George. Dave always said he wasn’t from ‘anywhere’ as he moved so often and that he learned to fight young as he was always the ‘new kid’.

Perhaps these many moves contributed to Dave’s ability to ‘size people up’ quickly and to ‘think outside the box’.  He was a keen judge of character and acted upon that with confidence.  He once traded his condo for a house, on a handshake.  A lawyer was sought to complete the deal and it was absolutely solid. He was also independent and had the ability to ‘think on his feet’. He enjoyed finding unique solutions to difficult or unusual problems.

Dave has two lovely daughters: Leslie and Robyn, from his first marriage to Alice Yanke.  The girls remained the ‘light of his life’ through to the end of his life.

Dave lived mostly in Victoria and knew many people there as he did service work, of various kinds, for most of his work life. He worked at Victoria Tire doing mechanical and truck tires as a young man and he often described himself as a ‘gearhead’. He  enjoyed being part of a successful team and the comraderie he found with his coworkers.  A workplace injury necessitated that he look for other employment, but it didn’t stop him from pursing his passion for motorcycles and cars.  During his life time Dave had many different motorcycles from a Kawasaki ‘Concourse’ to a Yamaha, Honda and a Harley Davidson. He appreciated the different features of each one and made the modifications that suited him.

During the period of transition in Dave’s work life, and through a series of coincidences, he met  JoAnne, who was also in a period of transition.  After a lengthy period of time, and a number of challenges, they were married in 1998. Dave welcomed and embraced JoAnne’s young children: Charmaine and Bradley and he often spoke about his ‘blended family’ with pride. Dave also often mentioned how proud he was of the way he and JoAnne worked together to build a new life for themselves.

In 2008, Dave got two stents when he had his first heart attack. He was forever grateful to Dr Mildenberger, at Royal Jubilee Hospital, for his surgical expertise and excellent after-care which gave him another 13 years. Dave worked, at that time, for Indufast (Industrial Fasteners) which he really enjoyed and he went back to work before long…

At age 64, Dave retired, following another heart attack, and set about enjoying retired life, but he didn’t like sitting at home by himself with JoAnne at work. He soon came up with a plan for JoAnne to retire and to move ‘up island’, closer to his daughter, Leslie.

In 2017, Dave and JoAnne retired to Shawnigan Lake where they found a home in a quiet neighborhood.  The peacefulness of the place provided a retreat for him to relax and enjoy daily life. Even by this time, Dave knew that his health issues were becoming more complicated and that his time was limited.  Instead of feeling sorry for himself, Dave embraced the days ahead. He fixed the house, got a dog, went for many day excursions and appreciated everything he had. When he knew he was no longer safe to ride a motorcycle, he bought a ‘California Special’ Mustang and spent lots of time researching what he could do to improve it’s performance.

Dave often said that he didn’t like people, but that wasn’t really true… Everywhere he went, he met people easily, and usually, in less than half an hour, people would tell him their whole life story. He also had a very special connection with Mabel Hitchen. They shared a mutual respect for each other’s different Christian backgrounds, and enjoyed many long and engaging discussions on the nature of God and Faith.

This past summer, Dave had a series of severe & life threatening health issues which resulted in the decision for him to enter the Cowichan Palliative Care Program. The remarkable Palliative Care Team assisted him to fulfill his desire to pass away in his home with family and his dog,’ Daisy’. He was very grateful to Dr Adzik, whose kindness, gentle energy and listening skills were only surpassed by his ability to figure out how to eke out every last ounce of quality- of- life for Dave.

Dave embraced the time he had left.  He initiated a whirlwind of activity. He phoned everyone who mattered to him – some who were people he hadn’t seen for years. He was determined not to leave JoAnne with a lot of unfinished business so he disposed of his firearms, gave away numerous possessions to friends and family who came to visit him, cleaned out his closet, had the priest come to give him ‘The Anointing of the Sick’ Sacrament and he traded his cars to buy JoAnne a new one.

He also recognized his family physician, Dr Kapongo, and was grateful to him for his care over the past 4 years. Dave did not disrespect people, but he only truly respected those who earned it and one of those was Dr Kapongo.

When his business was complete, Dave passed away swiftly and peacefully, as he wished, at home with family. Special thanks to the Shawnigan Lake Fire Department who were first responders that morning and to the Paramedics (Mill Bay Station) who remained until after his passing.

Dave passed away pretty much as he lived his life: in his own way, his own time and on his own terms.