HANS JOACHIM SCHNEIDER

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HANS JOACHIM SCHNEIDER

February 4, 1921 - February 4, 2026

Hans Joachim Schneider passed away peacefully early in the morning of February 4, 2026 on the day of his 105th birthday. He died in the family home, a home in which he had lived since he was 12 years old.

Hans leaves behind his beloved wife Gabriele; sons, Roland (Sandra), Chris (Carol) and Bertram (Colleen), and his daughter Friederike (Ailton). He was also Opa to ten much-loved grandchildren, Tristan, Mariza, Matthew, Hannah, Juan, Benjamin, Marcus, Xavier, Maggie, and Signe.

He is predeceased by his parents, Reinhard and Irmgard, and his sisters, Elisabeth and Wiltrud.

Hans was born in the Black Forest town of Emmendingen, Germany. In 1927, when he was six years old, the family emigrated to Canada, traveling by steamship from Antwerp to Halifax, and then by rail onto the snowy prairies. Along with a group of German immigrants, the family settled in the Manitoba hamlet of Little Britain. Six years later, they bought a farm on Henderson Highway, which would remain the family home to this day.

Hans' childhood memories remained vivid right until his final days. He remembered cutting ice blocks on the Red River in the winter, which were hauled to the farm and kept in the root cellar to serve as refrigeration during the hot Manitoba summers. He remembered swimming across the river on his horse, Fuchs, to get to high school in Selkirk. Growing up on the farm he learned to be resourceful, hardworking, and deeply dedicated to his family, traits he carried with him throughout his life.

In his mid 20s, he stopped working on the family farm and began what would become a very successful professional career. Starting out by selling Blue Cross health insurance to farmers across southern Manitoba, he eventually worked his way up through the provincial health system to become the Deputy Minister of Health under the NDP government of Ed Schreyer. Hans always cherished his working relationship with Premier Schreyer and eventually became the Secretary of Management Committee of Cabinet, the highest civil service position in the province at the time.

Although he had a very demanding career, he was a very devoted father. Summers almost always involved a family camping trip to the Rocky Mountains. The main activity was hiking and, no matter how long the hike, once at the end, we would have to go just a little bit further. There was always one more small peak that needed to be climbed.

Hans' role of father was perhaps only eclipsed by his role as husband. Hans and Gabriele were married for 66 years. Their marriage was the model of love and devotion. They were inseparable right until the end.

They loved to travel, often visiting extended family in Germany, and also traveling throughout Europe, East Africa, Costa Rica and Venezuela. In his later years when he and Gabi still craved to travel but needed a bit of support, they traveled with their adult children to places like Hawaii, Phoenix, Tofino, Europe, and Egypt.

When not traveling or working, Hans had a passion for harvesting, whether from his own garden or picking wild berries or spending hundreds of hours walking through forests in search of the much-prized chanterelle. He was also an avid fisherman, spending many a chilly fall day on the Red River in pursuit of pickerel. On his final fishing trip when he was 102, he caught a 32-inch pike, which pleased him to no end.

Hans' final years were spent at home with the help of his family and a contingent of very loving homecare workers. The family would like to especially thank them for the care they provided Hans in his final months. Many thanks to Clairette, Jessica, Cheryl, Jhun, Gurpreet, Candace, and Komal.

Hans' was a life very well lived.

Cremation has taken place. A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Feb 14, 2026