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In Memoriam: Donald A. Schindlbeck

The original obituary listing can be found here.

Donald (Don) Schindlbeck passed away peacefully on Saturday, July 25, 2020, at the age of 93.

Don lived a full life and was blessed to spend 73 years married to his wife, Melva, who preceded him in death by five months.

Don was from the first generation of Schindlbeck’s born in the U.S. He is the son of an immigrant, who came to the U.S. from Bavaria, Germany via a ship that left from Antwerp, Belgium in 1907. Don graduated from East Aurora High School, which is where he met the love of his life, Melva, when he was a senior and she was a junior. Upon graduation, Don joined the Army Air Corp (later the U.S. Army) where he was deployed to Germany to guard a POW camp during WW2. He told stories of his time in Germany, and the irony of ending up specifically in southern Germany given his familial ties to the location. He also told stories of learning to respect the resilience of humanity from his time in WW2, a respect which he carried with him throughout the rest of his life.

Upon his return from the war, he attended Benedictine University where he earned a degree in electrical engineering. He went on to have a long and storied career with Commonwealth Edison. One of the highlights of his career was becoming the Division Vice President for Com Ed, where he interacted with many fine employees, of which he spoke fondly. Don retired from Com Ed in the mid 1990’s and spent the next twenty years traveling the world with his wife. He returned to Europe almost yearly and went on many cruises all over the world.

Don was involved in many philanthropic causes. Specifically, he spent many years on the Board of the Community Foundation of Fox River Valley. He served as the Chairman of the Board from 1990-1992. Upon his passing, he was a Trustee Emeritus at Aurora University. He first joined the AU Board of Trustees in 1976 and served as Chairman from 1992-1994. During his time as Chairman, he led the effort for AU to affiliate with George Williams College in Williams Bay, WI.

Don was a wonderful patriarch to his family. He is preceded in death by his wife Melva, his daughter Robin Hodgson, and his grandson Matthew. He is survived by his son Craig, daughter-in-law Kathy, son-in-law John Hodgson, grand-daughters Melissa Paukstis and Kelly (Dirk) Summers, and grandson Christopher (Danielle) Schindlbeck. He also leaves behind eight great-grandchildren. He will be greatly missed by all.

Your memorial contribution in Don’s name will be placed in the Robin M. Hodgson Memorial Scholarship Fund. 

Grant funds from the Community Foundation helped provide updated technology. These upgrades were transformative. By creating new time saving processes, it turned us into a more efficient organization.

Marie Wilkinson Food Pantry

Grantee

YEP has made me realize the importance of being involved in my community, and how to make a difference. There are a lot of problems in the world but if we can do everything that we can to help the world will become a better place. YEP has helped me realize this and encouraged me to help more people in the future.

Madi Porter

YEP Member

Education is important to us. We support causes that touch our lives and align with our values. We believe in paying it forward. We are here for a short time,, and it is the next generation that will take on what we leave behind.

Michelle Emanuel

Donor and Past Scholarship Recipient

YEP was a great experience to have in high school. I became a more confident person, someone with a lot more perspective. Coming from a small school, YEP allowed me to branch out into my community, meet students from other schools, and learn about their backgrounds. I made some great friends and still keep in touch with them today.

Abby Vagnoni

YEP Alumni

Being a part of the Community Foundation scholarship committee is the highlight of my year. For many, a scholarship from the CFFRV is the reason they are able to continue reaching for their dreams and changing the future of our world. I hope each recipients knows just how inspirational they are to those of us who are lucky enough to read their stories.

Jessica Breugelmans

Scholarship Committee Member and Board Member

I am incredibly grateful for the generosity of the Zari Foundation Scholarship and the Community Foundation in supporting my education. I am majoring in mechanical engineering with a concentration in aerospace engineering at the Rose-Hulman Institue of Technology. In my spare time, I volunteer on campus, in the community and I’m also the principal violist in the symphony orchestra. I hope to make an impact on the next chapter of space exploration by eventually working at a groundbreaking aerospace company such as SpaceX or NASA.

Taytum Newell

Albert M. Zari Scholarship Recipient

Give your gift of time and see what it means to the people you impact. Helping others is what life is all about.

Neal Ormond

Donor & Fund Advisor

Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley

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