Family, friends mourning loss of Gene Schnelz, retired Oakland County judge
The Honorable Gene Schnelz, who served 32 years as a judge in Oakland County, died Dec. 5 at his home in Novi. He was 87.
According to his obituary from Lynch & Sons Funeral Directors, Judge Schnelz passed away peacefully.
Schnelz, sworn in as an attorney in 1958 after graduating from Detroit College of Law, established a municipal law practice that year in Walled Lake. In 1974, Schnelz was elected as judge to the 52-1 District Court, and four years later was elected as judge for Oakland County Circuit Court where he served until his retirement there in 2007.
A 2007 story in The Oakland Press about his final day on the bench quoted Judge Schnelz as saying: “I’m pretty happy and excited every day. Every day is a gift from God.” He was described as being “witty and funny, as well as caring,” helping and encouraging people and always taking his judgeship seriously.
Following retirement from the circuit court bench, Judge Schnelz continued to practice law with Schnelz Wells, P.C.
The obituary also states that Judge Schnelz “had a deep love for his family and his church. He met the love of his life, Betty Jean nee VanEaton, in 1955, and on their second date told her they would be married.”
At the time of his death, the couple had been married for more than 64 years.
The obituary further states: “Judge Schnelz’s faith in God was at the core of each day and shaped his life. He served the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod on a national level for more than 15 years as parliamentarian, and was an elder at St. Matthew Lutheran Church, Walled Lake, for over 50 years. He took great joy in his opportunities to coach young men and women in local youth athletics, as well as local high school forensic team members.”
In 1994, the State Bar of Michigan presented him with the Roberts P. Hudson Award, described as the highest award given by the State Bar. It’s presented periodically to an attorney or attorney group that demonstrates “unselfish rendering of outstanding and unique service to and on behalf of the State Bar of Michigan, the legal profession, and public. It signifies unusual and extraordinary help and assistance to the Bar and the legal profession, which has been given generously, ungrudgingly, and in a spirit of self-sacrifice.”
‘Unconditional love, laughter’
“He was a unique man, there’s no doubt it,” said the judge’s son, Kurt Schnelz. “With his passing, it’s kind of the end of an era.”
Kurt described his father as not only his dad but also his best friend and mentor, with their lives intertwining in many ways. The elder Schnelz worked until 2016 yet continued to offer advice and guidance during their nearly-everyday talks, Kurt said.
One example of that was something his dad shared with him early on, Kurt recalled: “He said, ‘ You can spend 25 years building a reputation, son, but can lose it in 25 seconds. Keep it polished at all times. Integrity it’s not something you do when someone is watching. It’s what you do when you’re alone.’”
The judge loved lawyers and professional law, Kurt said. He also had a strong religious faith and an unquestionable love and devotion to his wife, and always maintained a strong sense of humor which “keeps you young forever,” Kurt said.
In a Facebook post, one of his grandchildren, Carrie Eaton, calls Judge Schnelz her “ultra loving, happy and goofy-as-a-clam Poppa...traits he was famously known widely for in both professional and personal circles.”
She further states: “I’ll forever cherish our time together as well as the lessons you taught me about unconditional love, laughter, and treating everyone we meet in life as a member of our own family. I find comfort in knowing that you are at peace and probably cracking jokes with everyone in Heaven.”
Judge Schnelz, born in Dermott, Arkansas, was raised in Hazel Park. He was a graduate of Hazel Park High School and Detroit College of Law, and also had attended Alma College.
Judge Schnelz is survived by his wife Betty, son Kurt, daughters Elizabeth (Ralph) Rexroat, and Rebecca Schnelz, four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
A private family service was held at St. Matthew Lutheran Church, Walled Lake, with internment at Glen Eden Lutheran Memorial Park in Livonia, Michigan.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Angela Hospice at https://angelahospice.org, or Hospitality House of Commerce Township.