STEVEN A. SCHONEFELD

1942 - 2019

STEVEN A. SCHONEFELD, Ph.D., 76, of Fort Wayne, died unexpectedly Saturday, March 23, 2019, at 12:41 a.m. at Lutheran Hospital, Fort Wayne. Born April 16, 1942 in Fort Wayne, Ind., he was the only child of the late Albert H. and Dorothy R. (Chamberlin) Schonefeld. His formative years were spent in Jefferson Township, Whitley County, where he attended Jefferson Center School. He graduated from Columbia City Joint High School in 1960. He continued his education at Purdue University where he received Bachelor's, Master's and Ph.D. Degrees in Mathematics. On June 15, 1985 he was united in marriage to Maryellen Wright. They made their home in Fort Wayne, Auburn, and Angola, moving back to Fort Wayne in 2015. A brilliant mathematician, he was a Professor of Mathematics at Tri-State University (later becoming Trine University). During his career, he published a textbook on higher math which has been used internationally. He retired in 2015 with 37 years teaching at Trine. He was an accomplished woodworker, enjoyed the game of cribbage and was a good pocket billiards player. He was a 50-year member of the Math Association of America. Surviving are his wife, Maryellen Wright of Fort Wayne; a son, Byron E. Schonefeld of Columbia City; a daughter, Nola K. West of Garrett; three step-sons, Warren R. (Renee) Disch, Matthew G. Disch and Michael (Vickie) Disch; 13 grandchildren; and a special cousin, Caroline Krick of Fort Wayne. Additionally, he was preceded in death by two daughters, Cora Lee Fisher and Tanya Sue Schonefeld Snyder. A celebration of Steve's life is 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Smith & Sons Funeral Home, Columbia City. Visitation is from 2 to 4 and 6 p.m. until the service at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, memorials in Steve's honor are to Habitat for Humanity. Online condolences may be sent to www.smithandsonsfuneralhome.com