In Memoriam—Rene’ Schoennauer

Rene’ Marcel Schoennauer of Fort Jones passed away peacefully at Madrone Hospice House on January 2 with his devoted wife, Paula, by his side. He was 84 years old.

Rene’ was born in San Francisco, CA on July 15, 1930 to parents Julia and Joseph Schoennauer, the youngest of three children. At a young age he developed what would become lifelong interests in the ocean, airplanes and boats.

Rene’ served in the U. S. Army during the Korean War with the 1st Calvary Division Air Section. Following his military service, he attended San Jose State and graduated with a B.S. in Aeronautics. His multiple careers included aeronautical engineering early on for both Boeing Aircraft in Seattle, WA and Lockheed Aircraft in Sunnyvale, CA and owner/builder of custom cabinets in Santa Cruz for 25 years before finally retiring to Scott Valley and operating a hay ranch on Kidder Creek. Rene’ always kept his hands busy and his interests led him to build multiple private homes, 3 commercial fishing boats and 2 home-built airplanes. He was a member of both the national and local chapters of the Experimental Aircraft Association and was a charter member of the Scott Valley Pilots Association.

Rene’ is survived by his wife Paula, his children Steve Schoennauer, Nancy( Schoennauer) Swenson, Karen (Schoennauer) Streeter, Renee Schoennauer, 10 grandchildren and 6 great grandchildren.

Rene’ was a creative and gentle soul and an inspiration for all who knew him. He will be greatly missed.