Memories of Martin James Schnars

In memory of

Martin James Schnars

Jamestown, NY, USA

December 4, 1956 - April 6, 2018

Dec 4, 1956 - Apr 6, 2018

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Hanna Schnars

Although many things have been said about my dad over the years, this is what I remember of him. He devoted time to nothing more than raising his two kids. I remember when we were very young, he would come home and my brother and I would run and jump on him so hard that he fell down and hugged us. Every weekend he would pick us up from our mom’s on Friday after school. Before he would get to our house, I would get so excited. As we drove through a scenic, snow-covered New York, I would look at the trees and the Victorian style homes, and the chapels. I would look to the face of my dad and my brother, and I never felt so safe and happy as I did then. We would stop at the grocery store to stock up for the weekend and my dad would say “ok, get whatever the hell you want.” Seth and I would start grabbing plastic bags and filling them up with candy. My dad never put a limit on what we could have. That’s how much he loved us, and I knew he would do anything for us.

My dad transformed his house into a kid-friendly wonderland, plastering his walls in a decorative fashion with pictures of all of our favorite memories. We had guinea pigs of assorted sizes and shapes. Twister, “The Dude”, Pretty, and Shadow... and many more. Seth and I would play video games as dad would make us dinner. And everything was right in the world.

One of my favorite memories was making popcorn. My dad had an old fashioned popcorn maker that spit the popcorn out all over the room! We used to get so excited when he would turn it on. It was a game to catch all of the pieces of popcorn when they flew out all over the kitchen. Seth and I never laughed so hard as we did then.

My favorite thing about my dad was his playful nature. He was always smiling and ready to play a joke on someone... which is definitely where I get it from. We would be sitting on the couch and my dad would all of a sudden shout “I’m gettin the hell outta here!” And he would run up the stairs. Seth and I would pursue him in a wild goose chase around the house. It sounds silly, but moments like that defined my dad’s true lighthearted nature and exuberant spirit.

Something many people don’t know about my dad is that he was a man of many talents. He taught me how to sew, both traditionally and with a sewing machine. We used to make stuffed animals together. He taught me how to make latch hook rugs too. He also made things out of wood. He made me a cradle for my dolls. He even used to paint my nails and do my hair. I mean, how many men do that?

He loved to ride his motorcycle. Although when I told him I wanted to get one when I was older, he told me “hell no.” He was always protective of me like that. But he did let me enjoy numerous rides on the back of his motorcycle.

He taught me how to rollerblade and ride a bike and use a snowboard. He also instilled in me a deep love of nature and all animals. Whenever possible, he would take us on nature trails or rafting on a lake. He taught me about the Audubon Society. He took us on car rides on long and winding roads, for no reason at all except to see us laugh and to see the smiles on our faces. He taught us how to make igloos and build forts. He took us sledding all the time. There was nothing like the feeling of the brisk air hitting my face while flying down a hill.

He was the greatest storyteller of all time. He had a friend named Steve Rodes, whom he had many stories about. The stories in a sense became a series, where Seth and I used to beg “dad, tell another Steve Rodes story!” There was nothing greater than listening to the tales of my dad’s life, my hero.

He also loved the library. He was a well-read man with such a great appreciation for knowledge to the point where he had his own miniature library in his house. I remember when he showed me all of the books he owned. A collection of textbooks and novels, both fiction and non-fiction. I asked him if he had really read them all. I was shocked when he told me yes. Although of course he didn’t just say yes, it was something more like, “why else would I have all these books, smartass?” In a joking sarcastic way of course.

Speaking of which, that’s another thing he blessed me with, my sense of wit and sarcasm, which has come in very handy over the years. Despite him being a smart aleck, I was appalled that one could read so many books.

He instilled in me a great love and appreciation for knowledge over the years. Another stop we made on Friday nights was the Prendergast Library. It was the most beautiful library I’ve ever seen. It was old and dusty inside, and so rich with history. It was one of my favorite places he took us. We would rent movies of every genre and checkout books. I am so thankful he instilled in me that love and respect for education and learning. It has carried me through in every aspect of my life, especially in my academic endeavors. It also gave me a broad perspective of the world at a young age.

My dad always promoted our hobbies and passions. He was not a wealthy man, but he would give us everything he could give. When I told him I liked dolls, he bought me any doll I could ever want. He bought us as many Pokémon cards as our hearts desired.

He liked to listen to Lynard Skynard- Simple Man and Sweet Home Alabama. He loved REM, and It’s the End of the World as We Know It I would say is his theme song.

He liked to make chili from scratch with the beans that take forever to cook. We loved to make those pizzas homemade. I’ll never forget the time when Seth and I came up with a plan to bombard dad with couch pillows one night when he was walking up the stairs. Unfortunately, our dad had a surprise for us too: a pizza he made us. We didn’t see the pizza he was holding and we went through with our plan. The pizza went everywhere as the couch pillows went flying over the banister of the stairs. Although we annoyed the “living hell” out of him, he could never stay mad at us for too long.

We used to lay in the hammock on the patio and talk about the meaning of life. My dad always liked to talk about topics like that. That’s what I loved about my dad, he made us free thinkers, defied norms, and molded our minds. He always pushed the boundaries, and I’m glad he did. So very glad.

One of his favorite things to do was to drive around and show us landmarks of his life. Simple places that would otherwise have no meaning. Our dad had a story for each and every place in the town where he grew up. He could make a simple, run-down building seem like the most interesting place in the world which, to me, exhibited his joie de vivre.

Many people think that my dad was an alcoholic, whose brain injury defined him. But I know the truth, and that could not be farther from it. My dad loved his kids more than anything, and I don’t believe he ever stopped loving my mom. She was the love of his life, and he was the love of hers. He was someone who would do anything to make people laugh, even at his own expense. Especially at his own expense, actually. He defied social norms. He wasn’t scared of anything or anyone. I always admired his fearlessness. It seemed like nothing could shake him. He was someone who loved nature. He loved animals and was a steadfast vegetarian. He stayed true to his beliefs, and would always stand up against any injustice. He was one of the most brilliant people I ever met.

He loved all the good things in life, but he loved his family most of all. I will continue to honor his memory through my work with animals, and my sarcasm, of course. His spirit is not lost, he is not gone, for his memory will live on forever in the hearts of those who truly loved him. Some people didn’t think he was good enough, and they tried to mold and change him, but he always stayed true to who he was. And I always admired that about him. And I liked him exactly the way he was.

He was a police officer. He wore aviators. He loved the beach... and the snow. He loved to listen to his police scanner and play chess. He loved his Swiss Army knife and his camouflage pants which he called his “holy pants”. He loved the Buffalo Bills. He wore combat boots and green jackets with many pockets. He was strong. He was kind. He was a great man. He was my dad.

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Sabra O’Kelly

2018

(Seth’s Obituary for his dad)

Martin James Schnars was an exceptionally gifted football player in high school. He scored six touchdowns in one game, one time. This strength of spirit is a testament to his strength of character, that lives on in his heart and mind and soul, in the hereafter, even though he has left this earthly plane. He never gave up. And even though he is no longer here with us physically, he is with us in spirit, and his life reminds us that we should never give up, in life, in anything that we do, even until the very end. The football team came back and won the game, and he had many friends in high school. Girls liked him and admired him a lot, and he had a way of making people comfortable and happy in any situation or setting in life, throughout life, as he was going through life. He was very intelligent, and he did exceptionally well in the courses of math, especially advanced and complex forms of Mathematics. He was highly adept at using the human language, reading, drawing, and writing things that were highly advanced, intellectually fulfilling, satisfying, and complex. He inspired and influenced his two children, Seth and Hanna Schnars, to an immense degree. Later in life, their success in school could largely be attributed to the impact that his intellectual capacity and moral and social value had on his two children, early on in their lives. He was a very spiritual person, who lived life with great honor and integrity, a devoted father and loving husband, and a morally just, giving ,and Godly person is, in each and every way, throughout all of his life. He protected people, watched over them, and saved lives during his career as a police officer in Fort Myers, FL. Doing what was legally and morally right, just, and correct was always of utmost importance to him in life, and a testament to his strength of character and the spirit of the person that he was, and how just, living, caring, and good that is was, throughout his life. He loved the Buffalo Bills football team, and he always wanted them to win a Super Bowl, even though it never ended up happening. The struggles that he had during the end of his life were very much like the struggles that the Buffalo Bills had, to win football games, and how they struggled in their attempts to win the Super Bowl. Football for us is an emotional and spiritual game, and he was a very emotional and spiritual person.

He will live on with us in our hearts and minds, forever. Amen.

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