Teacher and coach Roger Schnaser, RIP

(Oak Ridge Funeral Care image)

The boomer generation of Morris lost another of its teachers in June. We had been distant from this fellow for a long time. Upon hearing his name, a flood of memories comes back. I associate this guy with my adolescence. Ah, adolescence: a time of life that can have anxiety and insecurity. Roger Schnaser was there to hold our hands. He taught phy ed and health and was a coach.
"Tall" might be the word coming immediately to mind. He was a rangy fellow and used that attribute in basketball. He learned to play basketball on the dusty floor of the barn on the family farm. He had a lifelong attachment to the sport. He coached varsity for a time in Morris. I think my classmate Gary Lembcke was already playing varsity at that time. Gary completed his hoops career under Wayne Haugen.
We hear a lot today about "retention" at our University of Minnesota-Morris. In other words, a lot of students start their education at UMM but don't finish it here. Roger Schnaser was the opposite. He began at Willmar Junior College (before it was called a community college or Ridgewater) and then came to UMM. He played basketball in a superlative way here. I assume that was at the old P.E. Annex. The Annex had personality but was rather primitive, like the gym we associate with "The Absent Minded Professor" with Fred MacMurray. The pool was downstairs. The science facility sits there now.
Junior college students have a reputation of being a notch or two below the brilliant minds we associate with our UMM, right? That can be a nasty stereotype. Schnaser handled UMM just fine and got a degree here in 1967. He began teaching in the Morris public school system. I have warm memories of the towering fellow, this in spite of the fact that one day when returning graded tests to us, he said to me "were you asleep when you took this test?"
My fondest vignette is from the annual Olympics Day in spring. I was in the pole vault and had readied myself using a makeshift system in the back yard. But I wasn't feeling real comfortable or confident. Suddenly, just before I'd make a run at it, I saw Schnaser poised on the opposite end of the pit, pointing his home movie camera right at me! I didn't want to let him down. I charged furiously toward the bar, planted the pole and got sufficient momentum to get over the bar! Thanks Mr. Schnaser. I remember I was competing with the late Gary Michaelson.
Schnaser's tenure came to an end here. He got his Master's in Recreation Administration at the University of Northern Colorado in 1973. But his next career chapter was in insurance. He was an agent for State Farm from 1975 to 2009. His obituary states that "he developed a strong network of friends, co-workers and policy holders who were subjected to many pranks and jokes."
He didn't leave basketball behind him. He found avenues for coaching. He was active in the Lutheran Church, assuming leadership roles. It was ditto with his daughters' schools. His humor and love of life were endearing. He cherished the Bible passage John 3:16.
Mr. Schnaser passed away peacefully on June 6, 2007, at Good Shepherd Forsythe Hospice House in Auburndale, Florida. He left us too soon at the age of 72. He came into this world when the U.S. was engaged in World War II, in 1944. His obit says he had "an idyllic rural upbringing and education." He graduated from Appleton High School in 1962. A trivia question: what was the sports nickname for Appleton? It was "Aces!"
 
A legacy of family
Roger is survived by his wife of 47 years, Linda. They had two daughters: Joa and Jill. His brother Kenneth is still a resident of Appleton. There are three other siblings: Pat, Mary and Don. He and Linda had four grandchildren. Brother Gene Schnaser preceded Roger in death.
Let's note that in addition to all the other components in his active life, Roger was in the National Guard.
Memorial services were on June 10 at Grace Lutheran Church in Winter Haven FL. Additional services were at Lutheran Church of the Redemption in Bloomington MN. Memorial donations to the American Cancer Society are encouraged.
I remember Roger had a ping pong tournament in phy ed class. Having had experience with the paddle, I did well and ended up in the championship showdown with John Martin (Liz Morrison's brother). The other students in our class assembled in the bleachers. I lost, which didn't surprise me because I've never been good at performing under pressure. Roger asked for applause for both of us at the end. Thank you, Mr. Schnaser.
And thanks for the little incentive you gave me in the pole vault. I hope that in heaven, you can stay in shape with that "Chicken Fat" record you played for us! "Give that chicken fat back to the chicken, and don't be chicken again." Rest in peace, Mr. Schnaser.
 
Addendum: Del Sarlette tells me that during the Morris Centennial in 1971, Roger's name was announced during the program whereupon our classmate Terry Rice shouted, without missing a beat: "Hey Shorty!" I remember noticing Roger right away at the funeral for Don Chizek, because he stood out so much with his height at the Assumption Church sanctuary.
 
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com