John Adelbert Schnautz

Asheville - John Adelbert Schnautz of Asheville passed peacefully in his sleep on Sunday, May 7, 2017. He was 88. Born in Hamburg, NY, he was the eldest son of John William and Edna Clark Schnautz. He is preceded in death by his parents; his son - John Jay Ernst Schnautz; his two brothers - Kenneth and Leslie Schnautz; and sister - Elaine Schnautz Eggelston. He is survived by his loving wife of 37 years, Barbara Hoffman Cohen Schnautz; his daughters - Patricia McLaughlin of Austin, TX; JoAnn Schnautz of Ossining, NY; and Anita Reagan of Rotterdam, NY; his sons - Leslie Schnautz of Hamilton, OH; and Tom Schnautz of Cumming, GA; his step - daughters - Cheryl Sacks of Lanesboro, MA; and Serena Sacks of Atlanta, GA; and his step-son, Norman Sacks of Pittsford, NY. He is also survived by six grandchildren, 1 great-grandchild, and seven step-grandchildren. 

John was a proud veteran who served in the US Army during the Korean War from 1951-53. He earned a BS from Iowa State U and a MS and PhD in Chem E from Oregon State, where he was later inducted into OSU's Engineering Hall of Fame in 2003. He worked for 30 years for Exxon and its affiliates in many countries as a process and project engineer in technical services, facilities planning and in management. John enjoyed travel and spoke five languages. He and his wife, Barbara, chose Asheville for retirement so that they could give back to the community.

John served for many years as Chair of Asheville SCORE. He was a Master Gardener, winning awards for his Bearberry preserves. His wines and cherry juice were legendary. He also mentored a 4-H STEM Robotics Team for six years.

A private ceremony will take place at Western North Carolina Veteran's Cemetery in Black Mountain where his ashes will be interred.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Buncombe County 4-H Robotics Program can be made payable to "NC Agricultural Foundation/Buncombe County 4-H EF" and sent to North Carolina 4-H Development Fund, Campus Box 7645, Raleigh, NC 27695 in John's name. Friends are welcome to join us in a celebration of John's life on June 3rd from 1 to 4 at the Givens Estates in Asheville, NC. 

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