Fred Schneider

1929 - 2021

Fred Schneider
October 2, 1929 - August 12, 2021
Redwood City
Fred Schneider passed away peacefully on August 12, 2021, with his family at his side after 91 wonderful years.
Fred Schneider was born in Toss Winterthur in Switzerland in 1929. He had a large family at home
with 7 Brothers and 2 Sisters living on a typical Swiss Farm. After finishing school, he went to a Trade School to apprentice as a machinist for four years, a skill he would use the rest of his life.
In 1950 he made up his mind to emigrate to Canada, the only country that could take him because of his skills growing up on a farm but shortly found work at a Machine shop in Regina where he could pursue the profession that he loved as a machinist. He returned to farming because it was the only way he could get a sponsorship in America and in the spring of 1953, he moved to yet another farm in Boise, Idaho. He used his earnings at the farm to buy his first car, a used FORD, a model of car he would buy for the rest of his life. In 1954 he traveled with his FORD to San Francisco where he worked for three years as a tool maker. In 1957 he found a job that would change his life, working as a machinist at Ampex in Redwood City. There he worked with engineering groups developing audio and video recorder and building the future of Video. That same year he met his wonderful wife Hedy Buhler, and they traveled back to Switzerland to get married and live in Switzerland. He always said his wife, Hedy was his best partner and together they accomplished so much in their 63 years together.
But America called and they returned to San Francisco, and Fred went back to work at Apex where he built and managed a team of machinists, staying there another 34 years. They moved to Redwood City and bought three different houses before finally moving to Mohican Way in Redwood City.
Fred retired from Ampex in 1995 having served over 38 years. He spent his retirement years fixing and repairing and building anything from kitchens to cars, to playhouses and treehouses and even worked at winemaking with his family at the vineyard at his daughter's home. He enjoyed staying touch with the Swiss Community here in the Peninsula. He remained active at Mt. Carmel Parish for over 50 years. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather who doted on all his amazing family. He will be missed and fondly remembered by his extended family.
Fred is Survived by his wife of 63 years Hedy Schneider, his Daughter Yvonne Brill, Son-in-law Michael Brill and his Son Herb Schneider and Daughter in Law Eunice Cardenas-Schneider, four grandchildren, Laura Stromberg, Katherine Bell, Jeffrey Brill, Jack Schneider and five great grandchildren, Arcadia Stromberg, Flynn Stromberg, Genevieve Bell, Levi Brill and Eli Brill.
Friends are invited to attend a Funeral Mass 10;00 am, Wednesday, August 18, 2021 at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church, 300 Fulton Street, Redwood City, with interment following at Gate of Heaven Catholic Cemetery in Los Altos.


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