MIC DANIEL MALCOM SCHNELL

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MIC DANIEL MALCOM SCHNELL On November 25, 2015 at the Gimli Community Medical Center, Mic passed away after a short battle with Cancer at the age of 56. Left to cherish his memory is his beloved partner, of nearly 34 years, Cliff Savage; his brother Donald (Betty); nephews, Geordie (Sanna) their son Daniel and David. Mic was predeceased by his parents Daniel and Dorothea Schnell, and his brother Douglas. Mic is also survived by a couple of aunts, cousins and their children from both Winnipeg and the Glenboro/Cypress River area of Manitoba, as well as a very special and dear cousin in Winnipeg Sharron Amy. Mic was born on July 28, 1959 in Winnipeg MB, living in the Fort Rouge area until June 1988 when he and his partner moved to a hobby farm near Komarno, MB. During his childhood and teenage years, Mic was an avid musician starting out with the accordion, moving on to a pump organ and finally the piano which he mastered to a grade 12 level in music. In his younger years, his parents were very involved in the local Legion across the lane from their residence on Glasgow Avenue, and for many years his father was on the entertainment committee responsible for arranging for the entertainment throughout the year. When an entertainer did not show up or cancelled their engagement on short notice, Mic would get a call asking him to grab his accordion and come over to play for the evening. Mic also during these years entertained many of the members of the Legion that were invited to the family home after the Legion closed for many hours on the weekends. He enjoyed the laughter and good times his music provided everyone, besides being able to stay up extra late and being the wonderful entertainer he was so proud to be. His mom and dad bought him an upright 1905 Bell piano when he was in his teens, which was his pride and joy. He enjoyed playing it on a regular basis throughout his later years as an adult, whether he was by himself, or when friends were over for an occasion or holiday. His selection of music was quite wide; however, his favourite was classical and he excelled in that genre. One of the best tunes he played to display his talent was The Flight of the Bumble Bee where it would constantly speed up tempo. Mic began his employment with the Province of Manitoba as a step student when he was 14 years of age in the Vital Statistics office where his grandmother worked as a typist. During this time, his speed at the keyboard surpassed everyone's expectations, which was the outcome of his vast experience playing the accordion, pump organ and piano and capabilities to move his fingers so quickly without a second thought. Mic continued to work for the Province until his passing in various departments within the Administration areas and for many different Divisions with the majority of his career being with Family Services. He was so happy when he was finally able to work in the Gimli office where he was so close to home so close he would go home for lunch and spend time with Amigo, the best cat who adopted us over 15 years ago. Although many thought that the "city boys" would not last more than three years at the most living on a hobby farm in the mosquito capital of Manitoba (and likely Canada by the numbers and size of them), everyone was amazed at how Mic adjusted to country/farm living. It wasn't long before he was no longer afraid of getting his hands dirty or mucked up whether it was while he was baking buns, or hard at work out in the yard creating gardens and constantly changing them around, splitting perennials, planting shrubs and trees almost all grown and/or sold by local businesses, as well as providing help as required while renovating our home. Shortly after moving to the hobby farm, we were very happy to have his mom and dad move their summer camper (33 foot travel trailer) into a special area just across the driveway from our home. It always seemed to be a contest as to which yard would have the most flowers and they just kept on adding to the selection and gardens every year. Mic needed to start doing some volunteering in 2003, so off he went to Solmundson's Perennial Gardens his favourite place to purchase bedding plants. He approached the owner Darlene Solmundson and said exactly that, and Darlene apparently stopped her watering, shook her head to make sure she wasn't hearing things and said "you want to what?" Since then Mic has been working there every Spring through to late July and gained even more knowledge that he could use at home, as well as provide to customers of the Greenhouse. Darlene recently said that Mic was like the brother she never had. They would have such wonderful talks at the picnic table beside the old barn as they took breaks or waited for the next car (or carload) of customers to arrive. Mic loved to travel both with his family (which included his grandmother) and by himself during his early adult life to places while growing up, both in Canada and the U.S.A. After getting together with his partner, they also travelled and on occasion this also included travel with their parents to visit relatives whereever they were located at the time. Then we began to go to Mexico occasionally in 1988 starting off with Mazatlan, then to Acapulco several times with the last time being the changing of the Millennium (it was too hot for Cliff for medical reasons) and then Puerto Vallarta since then. We purchased condominiums there, and it has always been our "second home" where we could totally relax and be ourselves no matter where we were in the city, and started being tour guides (starting in 2005 for Cliff's parents, Vic and Muriel's 50th Anniversary in 2005) for relatives and friends when they would stay with "the boys" at one of their condo resorts. Along with their friend Ricardo and his partner at the time, there would be so many new adventures to explore each time. Our last trip was for our 33rd anniversary and his special cousin Sharron came along with us. What an amazing trip it was!!! We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who was part of Mic's extraordinary support system, which includes our families; all of his co-workers from Family Service's staff in the Selkirk and Gimli offices and some from his time working at 114 Garry Street in Winnipeg, who visited so frequently - as many as 10 at a time during his stay at the Gimli Community Health Centre, as well as the amazing staff at the Centre and his doctor R.C Patel. We all cared for Mic so incredibly through his illness and last few days with us, words just don't seem to be enough to express our gratitude. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in honour of Mic to: the Gimli Community Health Center, the Alzheimer Society of Manitoba, or the Heart and Stroke Association of Manitoba. As per Mic's wishes, cremation has taken place, and a Celebration of his Life for family and close friends will take place in the near future. Gilbart Funeral Home, Gimi in care of arrangements. www.gilbartfuneralhome.com

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Dec 05, 2015