Larry A. Schneider

September 22, 1948 - April 15, 2021

Larry A. Schneider, age 72, of Menomonie, WI passed away from Lewy Body Dementia on Thursday, April 15, 2021, at his home in Menomonie. He was born on September 22, 1948 in New Holstein, WI to Lester and Josephine (Kelbel) Schneider and was truly a hero to those that new him. At age 7, Larry acquired paralytic polio. The hospital staff left him in the hallway to die with the other children, but through his perseverance, he survived. His parents were told he wouldn’t walk again, but Larry proved the doctor wrong. In 1961, at age 12, Larry underwent spine surgery, which required an eight-month recovery time in a full body cast. His Boy Scouts leader coordinated with the local telephone company and school to provide a school-to-home telephone system that allowed Larry to communicate with his classmates and continue his education during his recovery. Larry didn’t let the paralysis and pain from Post-Polio Syndrome prevent him from making important contributions to UW-Stout and manufacturing companies in the U.S. and around the world. In manufacturing circles, he was the guru of Lean Manufacturing. As a teacher, he cared about his students and raised the bar in terms of quality and capabilities of UW-Stout’s graduates. He established the Applied Technology program and collaborated with companies through the Stout Technology Transfer Institute. It is because of people like Larry that UW-Stout is Wisconsin’s Polytechnic University. For his contributions, Larry received an Honorary Doctorate from UW-Stout in 2018. Larry married Tamara Hayden on June 12, 1993 in Menomonie and enjoyed being a beef cattle rancher in Colfax, WI in retirement. He is survived by his wife, daughter Tiffany Hoage, grandson Jonathan Jakubowski, and brothers and sisters: Roy Schneider of Malone, WI, Roger (Judi) Schneider of Vincennes, IN, Ron (Sandie) Schneider of Campbellsburg, KY, Cathy (Fred) Ruebl of Malone, WI, Tom (Karen) Schneider of Cleveland, WI, Barb (Dennis) Forstner of New Holstein, WI, Bev (Bill) Biederwolf of Pearson, WI, and Joe Merchant of Oakland City, IN. He was preceded in death by his parents, sister Laurie Merchant, and brother-in-law Oscar Konen. Larry Schneider loved a party; so, we hope to see you at his Celebration of Life. No cards please. A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, August 28, 2021 from 12 PM to 4 PM at Olson Funeral Home in Menomonie. In lieu of flowers, the family requests charitable contributions in memory of Larry Schneider be made to Brain Support Network, www.brainsupportnetwork.org, PO Box 7264, Menlo Park, CA 94026.