Frank Schneider

Francis "Frank" Schneider of Elkins passed away Wednesday, October 30, 2024, at home, due to natural causes. Frank was born July 24, 1939, and grew up in Mahwah, New Jersey. He was preceded in death by his parents, Margaret and Milton Schneider, and is survived by his daughters, Josephine Wagoner, her husband, Michael, and their children, Joshua and Jenna; and Christine Schneider and her daughters, Summer and Mandalaia Krantz. He also leaves his sister Susan and her husband, Harry Sampson, of Montague, California; and their sons, Harry, Tom, and Dan; and numerous nieces and nephews. Frank graduated from Ramsey High School in New Jersey in 1958,and then left NJ to pursue a bachelor's degree in physics at Davis & Elkins College in West Virginia. After graduating from D&E, he earned his master's degree in physics at William and Mary College in Williamsburg, and then his doctorate in physics, with a focus on elementary particle physics, at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. He met his daughters' mother, Jacqueline, while both of them were attending William and Mary. They graduated at the same time,and subsequently got married. He taught computer science and math at Davis & Elkins College and Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina. While in South Carolina, he wrote a textbook, Problem-Solving Pascal, which he dedicated to his daughters. He then moved to La Canada, California, and joined the Jet Propulsion Laboratory through the California Institute of Technology, a division of NASA, in Pasadena, and worked there for 13 years as a quality assurance technician for non-manned spacecraft. He briefly worked at NASA in Fairmont, West Virginia. He was most notably involved with the Mars Rover landing craft and the Hubble space telescope projects. After retiring, he lived in Oregon, Delaware, and New York (the Hamptons), and finally returned to Elkins, WV, where he built a home in his 70s. He enjoyed playing piano, camping, fishing, hunting, frisbee, woodworking, taking walks, and simply being outdoors. He participated in a woodworking group and cross-fit exercise in his 70s and 80s in Elkins. Physical fitness and nutrition were mainstays throughout his life. He will be missed by his lifelong friends and family. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to a scholarship fund of choice. The Tomblyn Funeral Home of Elkins is in charge of the arrangements for Francis "Frank" Schneider. Condolences may be expressed to the family at www.tomblynfuneralhome.com.