Obituary of Eric Schnoebelen
Eric Grant Schnoebelen, 56, of Plano, Texas, died on Monday, March 18, 2019.
Born to Claudia Louise Hopkins & Walter Grant Schnoebelen on December 10, 1962 at Mercy Hospital in Iowa City, Iowa, Eric began his life as an Iowa farm boy. He grew up with a large extended family that included his parents, younger sister Therese, grandparents, aunts and uncles. As a child he loved playing in the dirt, climbing on the farm equipment and helping with harvest.
It wasn’t long before Eric’s love of taking things apart and putting them back together grew into a passion for chemistry, engineering and computers. He attended Oskaloosa High School graduating in 1981. During his time at OHS he created the first attendance and class assignment software that the school ever used. He attended Iowa State University, graduating with a BS in Computer Science in 1986.
A love of warm weather and a desire to live closer to family brought Eric to Texas after college graduation. In 2000 he landed in Plano, TX, purchasing a house and making it a home for the next almost twenty years. Eric successfully held several Engineering positions over the years; he was most proud of the business he started when he arrived in TX, Central Iowa Railroad, or CIRR.com where he continued to host and manage the websites of many small businesses throughout the years.
Eric enjoyed many hobbies including his life-long love of trains and the business of railroading. He built many model trains and railroads and he shared his passion for them with his son. He was happiest when the two of them were riding the rails. Motorcycling, bicycling, jet skiing and motorboating were among the many activities he loved. He spent many a weekend with his close friend, Liz Gensheimer, attending and participating in many various renaissance fairs where they collected beautiful glass art and enjoyed immersing themselves in the time period. He was an avid reader who constantly had a book in his hand or an article on his computer.
Eric married Janelle Bowling in 1998; they were blessed with the birth of a son, Aaron Grant, in 2001.
Eric was a very generous man who consistently donated to multiple local and national charities throughout his life. He was a diehard Democrat who followed both local and national politics; he was always up for a good discussion and cared strongly about those less fortunate.
Eric was first diagnosed with Lymphoma in 2011. He fought fiercely and the world was blessed to have him through 8 years of dealing with the evil disease that ultimately claimed his life. He passed from this earth in his parents’ loving arms. Preceding him in death are his grandparents, Byron and Gladys Hopkins and Walter and Ruth Schnoebelen and his brother, Gary Gaul Jr. He is survived by his son, Aaron Schnoebelen, 17, his parents, Gary and Claudia Gaul and Walter Grant Schnoebelen, his siblings Gwen (Bruce) Berg, Therese (Keven) Hood, and Gina (Harold) Moses, his loving aunts Pam Patterson and Janet (Daniel) Tedesco, his nieces and nephew, Megan Skinner, Byron Hood, Danae Moses and Lydia Moses, and many other close friends and family members.