Dean R. Schnell, 88, of Fairview, went to be with the Lord Sunday afternoon, October 31, 2021 at the Chicora Medical Center.
Dean was born in Bruin on September 12, 1933. He was the son of the late Josiah N. and Minnie Sumney Schnell.
He was a graduate of Bruin Borough-Parker Twp. Joint High School. Dean was an active member of the Martinsburg Church of Bruin and a former member of St. Peter’s Reformed Church of Fairview.
Dean was a U.S. Army veteran, having served in active duty from 1956-1958 and was honorably discharged in 1962. He had been employed at Witco Chemical in Petrolia, retiring in 1996. Dean was a quiet, hard working man. He was a very talented carpenter who crafted furniture for his and his children’s homes, as well as rocking horses for each of his granddaughters.
Dean was preceded in death by his wife, Margaret L. “Peg” Schnell, whom he married in Fairview on September 18, 1954. Peg passed away on July 17, 2021.
Surviving are his children, Karen D. Fair and her husband, Ken, of Butler, Mike Schnell and his wife, Tracy, of Prospect, and Darla J. Peters and her husband, David, of Butler; six granddaughters whom he adored, Abby Fair, Molly Fair, Hope Schnell, Jaylee Lassinger, Brooke Lassinger, and Nash Peters; five brothers, Ralph Schnell and his wife, Wilma, of North Washington, Lee Roy Schnell and his wife, Sara, of Karns City, Larry “Pete” Schnell and his wife, Judy, of Karns City, James Schnell and his wife, Ruth, of Chicora, and Dennis Schnell and his wife, Marjorie, of Kennesaw, GA; three sisters, Helen Stewart of Virginia, Maxine Craig of Chicora, and Mary Jo Maurhoff and her husband, Doyle, of Petrolia, as well as a number of nieces, nephews, brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law.
In addition to his parents and wife, Dean was preceded in death by an infant daughter, a brother, Earl Schnell, and a sister, Clara Mae Edmonds.
The family would like to express a special thank you to his caregivers at the Chicora Medical Center.
Friends will be received at the Hile Funeral Home of Chicora, 339 Chicora Fenelton Rd., Chicora, from Noon – 2:00 p.m. Thursday. A funeral service with military honors accorded by the Chicora and Brady’s Bend American Legion Posts will follow from the funeral home at 2:00 p.m. with the Rev. Dennis Barger, longtime family friend, officiating. Interment will be in Bear Creek Cemetery, Petrolia. Contributions in Dean’s memory may be made to Martinsburg Church of Bruin, PO Box E, Bruin, PA 16022. Condolences may be sent by visiting www.hilefh.com.