Cover photo for William John Schnee's Obituary
William John Schnee Profile Photo
1934 William 2017

William John Schnee

April 2, 1934 — January 14, 2017

William “Bill” Schnee, 82 years old, of Alton, IA, died Saturday, January 14, 2017, at Sanford USD Medical Center in Sioux Falls, SD.

Funeral service will be 10:30 a.m., Thursday Jan. 19, 2017 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Alton with Rev. Terry Roder officiating and Rev. Paul Eisele and Rev. James Tigges concelebrating. Burial will follow at the St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery in Alton. Graveside military honors will be conducted by Floyd Post 200 American Legion. Visitation with family present will be from 4-7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2017, there will be a parish rosary at 5 p.m. and a vigil prayer service at 7 p.m. all at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Alton, IA. Services have been entrusted to Fisch Funeral Home & Monument of Remsen.

Bill was born April 2, 1934 to Henry & Irene (Boever) Schnee Remsen, IA. He grew up in Alton going to school at St. Mary’s Academy. When he was old enough he enlisted in the U.S. Army, it was during this time when he was stationed in Granite City, IL that he met the love of his life Mariana Wiehardt. On June 8, 1957 they married and after a whirlwind romance they settled back in Alton raising their family and had nearly 60 years together. Bill worked very hard during his life. He spent time working on a dairy farm before going to work for the Alton elevator and after that in the office of the Alton rendering plant, then retiring from Gorges Quick to Fix. Bill had another special family he farmed with, the Pottebaum family had a special place in his heart. Bill was pretty well known around Alton. He spent 25 years on the Alton Fire & Rescue Units with many years serving as the fire chief. Bill was pretty famous for his ability to talk. He always had time for a chat. He really loved to have a nice looking lawn and when he wasn’t working on his lawn you could find him helping Holly. He liked golfing and bowling and keeping track of what the grandkids were up to.

Bill was a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church.

Bill is survived by his wife of nearly 60 years, Mariana of Alton; daughters, Nancy (Brian) Gesink of Kingsley and Gina (Mike) Kleinhesselink of Alton, IA; one son, Dan Schnee of Alton, IA; 5 grandchildren, Melissa (Doug) Wurth of Kingsley, Denise (Scott) Wilson of South Sioux City, NE, Ben (Kassie) Kleinhesselink of LeMars, IA, Holly (Brandon) Van Roekel of Alton, IA, Kelsey (Austin) Todd of Cherokee; 6 great-grandchildren, Madison and Xander Wurth, Harrison Kleinhesselink, Brecken Van Roekel and Linkin and Maren Todd; his brother, Frank Schnee of Palm Bay, FL; 2 brothers-in-law, Glenn (Mary) Wiehardt of Bentrem, TX, Walt (Claudette) Wiehardt of San Antonio, TX; numerous nieces and nephews.

Those greeting him in heaven are his parents and a young brother Emmett, his in-laws, Ed & Anna Wiehardt, sister-in-law, Pat Wiehardt, sister-in-law, Jewell Schnee, great grandson, Layton Todd, nephew, Jeff Schnee.

Casket bearers will be Randy & Rod Pottebaum, Melissa Wurth, Denise Wilson, Ben Kleinhesselink, Holly Van Roekel, Kelsey Todd.

Honorary bearers will be Madison Wurth, Xander Wurth, Brecken Van Roekel, Linkin Todd, Maren Todd, Harrison Kleinhesselink.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of William John Schnee, please visit our flower store.

Service Schedule

Past Services

Visitation

Wednesday, January 18, 2017

4:00 - 4:00 pm (Central time)

St. Mary's Church - Alton, IA

610 E 10th St, Alton, IA 51003

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