Showing 43 results

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Woodland Cemetery

Ahrens, Caroline Seiler

  • Person
  • 1861-1944

Caroline Seiler Ahrens was born June 3, 1861 in Waterloo County, the daughter of George Seiler and Elisabeth Schmidt. She married Henry Jacob Ahrens November 6, 1884 and the couple had five children: Walter Henry Ahrens, George Seiler Ahrens, Mabel Laura Ahrens, Carl Hermann "Charles" Ahrens, and Edith Louisa Ahrens. Ahrens attended the Church of the Good Shepherd and served as treasurer of the Woman's Auxiliary for 27 years. She was a member of Eastern Star, and sat on the board of the YWCA for several years and served as the treasurer of the board for 25 years. Ahrens died February 3, 1944 and was buried in Woodland Cemetery, Kitchener.

Ahrens, Charles August

  • Person
  • 1856-1937

Charles August Ahrens was an industrialist born on August 28, 1856 in Port Elgin, Ontario to parents Charles Andrew and Charlotte Henrietta Ahrens. He was a harness maker and went to Iowa to specialize in making special harnesses for horse racing. He married Laura Emma Hirschy September 21, 1882 in Wayne, Ohio. He founded Chas. A. Ahrens Ltd. in Berlin, now Kitchener, Ontario in 1882, which he operated for 55 years. in addition to his business activities, he built several buildings and homes in the area. Ahrens was a charter member of the Kitchener Board of Trade, and served for a time on the Board of Health and the K-W Hospital Board. Together he and Laura had three children: Fredrick Hirschy; Charlotte Mary; and Florence L. He died September 14, 1937 and was entombed at Woodland Cemetery, Kitchener. At the time of his death, he held the record within the Dominion for the uninterrupted operation of a show factory by the same person.

Ahrens, Florence Louisa

  • Person
  • 1891-1982

Florence "Floss" Louisa Ahrens was a secretary and volunteer born February 25, 1891 in Kitchener, Ontario. She was the daughter of Charles August Ahrens and Laura Emma Hirschy Ahrens. Ahrens worked for the family company, C.A. Ahrens Shoe Co., for 42 years. Outside of work she was a 50-year member of the Kitchener-Waterloo Philharmonic Choir, as well as a member of both the K-W Business and Professional Women's Club and the Church of the Good Shepherd. She died November 7, 1982 at the Kitchener-Waterloo Hospital and was entombed at Woodland Cemetery.

Ahrens, Henry Jacob

  • Person
  • 1858-1933

Henry Jacob Ahrens was a grocer born March 2, 1858 in Port Elgin, Ontario to Charles Andrew Ahrens and Henrietta Charlotte Roth. He married Caroline Seiler April 16, 1884 and together they had five children: Walter Henry, George Seiler, Mabel Laura, Carl Hermann "Charles", and Edith Louisa. Ahrens owned and operated Five Points Grocery at the corner of Frederick and Lancaster until his retirement in [1919]. He died January 25, 1933 following a stroke and was buried in Woodland Cemetery, Kitchener. Caroline, who died in 1944, was buried with him.

Ahrens, Laura Emma Hirschy

  • Person
  • 1858-1949

Laura Emma Hirschy was born in Fredericksburg, Ohio December 20, 1858 to Henry and Mary (nee Hurst) Hirschy. She married Charles August Ahrens formerly of Berlin (later Kitchener), Ontario in Wayne, Ohio. They later relocated to Berlin (now Kitchener), Ontario where Charles founded Chas. A. Ahrens Ltd. in in 1882. Together Laura and Charles had three children: Frederick Hirschy; Charlotte Mary; and Florence Louise. Laura attended the Church of the Good Shepherd and was a member of the Ladies Aid Society, the Indepedent Dorcas, and the Order of the Eatern Star. She died February 21, 1949 and was entombed at Woodland Cemetery.

Alger, Daniel Henry

  • Person
  • 1884-1936

Daniel H. Alger was a plant manager born in Broughham, Ontario in 1884. He went to Colborne High School and studied at the Ontario College of Pharmacy. He worked from 1926 to 1927 at Lindsay Distilleries Ltd., before joining Joseph E. Seagram and Son's in Waterloo as a plant manager in 1929. Alger was a member of the Canadian Manufacturers' Association, the Waterloo Board of Trade, and a member of various golf clubs including Westmount Golf and Country Club. He died August 12, 1936 in Toronto, Ontario following an automobile crash north of Orangeville, Ontario while returning to Waterloo from his summer home in Georgian Bay. Alger's wife and a maid employed by the couple, who were in the car with Alger, survived the crash. He was entombed at Woodland Cemetery in Kitchener.

Byers, Harry J.

  • Person
  • 1896-1957

Harry Byers was born in Brodhagen, Logan Township on July 31st, 1896 to Andrew Byers and Caroline Graul. Byers married his wife, Violet Boyers on October 21, 1929 in Burlington, Iowa. Violet was born to John and Sarah (nee Murray) in Missouri on November 15, 1908. Together they had four children before Violet died April 15 1943 in Listowel, Ontario due to complications from childbirth. Their children were: Robert John (May 12, 1932), Jean Mildred (October 20, 1933), James Allen (January 20, 1942), and Shirley Marie (April 3, 1943).

After serving in WWI for both Canada and the United States, Harry was honorably discharged for medical reasons in 1918 due to arthritis in his left knee. After the war, Harry worked as an instructor at the Kansas Sweeney Automotive and Electrical School in the 1920's. He was then employed by the Grain Trust to go to the USSR from 1930-1931 to instruct Russians in the operation of large machinery, as part of the First Russian Five Year Plan. Violet went to Russia with him and the two kept a diary of events of their time in the country. Byers lived and worked in Grozny, Moscow, and Nikolsk (now Ussuriysk) among others. The couple returned to the United States and lived in Iowa until 1938 when they returned to Canada to settle in the Waterloo Region.

Byers lived his final years Kitchener, Ontario where he worked as a City Cab Company dispatcher and was a member of the St. Matthew's Lutheran Church. He and his wife Lorraine (nee McKay) lived at 27 Onward Ave. Byers died on July 13, 1957 at the Kitchener-Waterloo Hospital after a short illness. He was buried in a soldier's plot at Woodland Cemetery.

Forbes, Peg

  • Person
  • 1924-2016

Margaret "Peg" Isabel Forbes was born in Hespeler, Ontario on July 10, 1924 alongside her twin sister, Betty, to parents Millicent Lyall Forbes and George Alexander Forbes.

Peg grew up at the Forbes' family estate, Hillhead, in Hespeler and attended Bishop Strachan School in Toronto. Peg later attended the School for Nurses at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Ontario for 3 years and graduated in 1946.

Peg married Colin Andrew "Joe" Wilson on October 9, 1948. The couple had two children: Pamela and Ross. Peg later married William "Bill" Hutton Kaufman on May 12, 1968.

Peg passed away on October 22, 2016 at the age of 92 and was buried in Woodland Cemetery in Kitchener, Ontario.

Gildner, Colleen O'Hara

  • Person
  • 1925-2023

Colleen O'Hara Gildner was a translator, homemaker and volunteer born October 18, 1925 in St. Catharines to Minnie and Frederick Maines. She majored in languages at Victoria College in Toronto, graduating in 1947, and worked for several years as a translator for Sunshine Waterloo Company. Together with husband Earl Gildner, she stayed at home to raise their children and volunteered with the Cancer Society and the Heart and Stroke Association. Gildner died November 20, 2023 and was interred at Woodland Cemetery in Kitchener.

Gofton, Alfred Schneider

  • Person
  • 1889-1985

Alfred Schneider Gofton was born in Kitchener, Ontario on March 9, 1889 to parents Roger and Elizabeth Schneider Gofton, J.M. Schneider's sister. He lived with the J.M. Schneider family for a time, worked at the plant, and was a friend of J.M.'s son Norman. During World War I Gofton served overseas in the Canadian Army Service Corps in a motor transport unit. He enlisted in 1914 and was not discharged until 1919. He married Charlotte Elizabeth Braun June 6, 1923 with whom he had four children: Eleanor, Marion, Jerene, and Annette. He died November 19, 1985 and was buried at Woodland Cemetery.

Hallman, Menno S.

  • Person

Menno S. Hallman was born December 26, 1857 in Wilmot township, Ontario to parents Samuel Hallman and Mary Snyder. On June 15, 1887 he married Sarah Anna Anthes also of Wilmot and together they had Lizzie Hilda Hallman, born July 12, 1891. Sarah died of consumption [tuberculosis] September 26, 1893 at only 35 years old. Her young daughter, Lizzie died a few years later on March 17, 1896. Both are buried in Mount Hope Cemetery, Kitchener. Menno was remarried to Martha Snyder circa 1902. It does not appear they had any children. Menno died November 9, 1933 and is buried Woodland Cemetery, Kitchener. His widow Martha died August 25, 1964 and is also buried in Woodland.

Kaufman, A. R. (Alvin Ratz)

  • Person
  • 1885-1979

Alvin ("A.R.") Kaufman was an industrialist and philanthropist. He was born to Jacob Kaufman and Mary Eidt Ratz in Berlin (Kitchener), Ontario on February 11, 1885. He was raised alongside his three siblings; Emma Ratz Kaufman, Milton Ratz Kaufman, and Edna Louise Kaufman.

In 1907, Alvin Ratz and his father Jacob Kaufman formed the Kaufman Rubber Company Limited, which continued as the Kaufman Footwear division of William H. Kaufman Incorporated until 2000 when the company declared bankruptcy.

Following the example set by his parents, Jacob and Mary Kaufman, Alvin Ratz supported, both personally and financially, many community organizations in the Kitchener area as well as endeavours to which he was philosophically committed, such as birth control.

He was Chairman of the Kitchener Planning Board for 36 years, served on the Kitchener Parks Board for more than 40 years, was a member of the Kitchener Hospital Board, was president of the YMCA for 13 years, was a member of the founding Board of Governors of the University of Waterloo, and served in various capacities for Zion Church in Kitchener.

Alvin Ratz Kaufman founded the Parents' Information Bureau in 1935 to distribute birth control information. One of the field-workers he hired, Dorothea Palmer, was arrested in 1936 in Ottawa under the obscenity provisions of the Criminal Code. She was acquitted in a landmark verdict that declared her work to be 'for the public good." In 1976, Alvin Ratz was honoured by the Planned Parenthood Federation of Ontario for his work in birth control and family planning.

Alvin Ratz married Jane Helen "Jean" Hutton on August 12, 1911 and together they had four children; Helen Mary Kaufman, William Hutton Kaufman, Edward Kaufman (deceased in infancy) and Sally Jean. Kaufman was remarried in 1972, following Jean's death, to C. Elspath "Beth" Hall, who died shortly after their nuptials. He was married for a third time to Ruth Samson.

Alvin Ratz died on February 1, 1979 and was buried in Woodland Cemetery.

Kaufman, Jean Helen

  • Person
  • 1886-1971

Jane Helen "Jean" Kaufman was a philanthropist and volunteer. She was born October 25, 1886 in Port Elgin, Ontario the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Hutton. She moved to Berlin (now Kitchener) in 1911 where she would become known as an active supporter of local organizations. She raised funds for the YWCA and Victorian Order of Nurses, and was a member of the Zion United Church. Kaufman married Alvin Ratz Kaufman on August 12 , 1911 and together they had three children: Helen Mary, William Hutton, Edward Kaufman (deceased in infancy) and Sally Jean.

Kaufman, William Hutton

  • Person
  • 1920-2005

William "Bill" Hutton Kaufman was a third-generation businessman, philanthropist and community volunteer in Kitchener, Ontario. He was born on March 19, 1920 to Alvin ("A.R.") Kaufman and Jane Helen "Jean" Hutton in Kitchener, Ontario. He received his education in Kitchener and at the University of Toronto. He served as an RCAF flying instructor during WWII, and after the war ran Kaufman Furniture in Collingwood, Ontario. He succeeded his father as president of Kaufman Rubber Co. Ltd. (later renamed Kaufman Footwear) in 1964, after having worked in the company since 1952. In 1973 he again succeeded his father, this time as Chairman of the Board. In 1979 several companies were amalgamated to form William H. Kaufman Inc. William H. Kaufman stepped down as president in 1986 but remained as Board Chairman.

William H. Kaufman followed the example of his father and grandfather in his service to the community. In 1955 he became a member of the Kitchener-Waterloo Hospital Commission and in 1974 became the Chairman on the Waterloo Region District Health Council, serving for 35 years until 1990. The YMCA also benefited from his participation for more than 35 years: in 1954 he became a board member, served as president from 1978 to 1981, helped fund the A.R. Kaufman YMCA in 1982 and was named Honourary President in 1983. In 1996 he activated The William H. Kaufman Charitable Foundation to fund innovative projects worldwide in the areas of education, health, environment, and others.

William H. Kaufman's philanthropic and volunteer work earned him many awards, among them the Canada National Health and Welfare Volunteer Award (1986), National YMCA Council Fellowship of Honour (1983), Canadian Red Cross Society Distinguished Service Award (1987).

William H. Kaufman married Sarah Kathleen Kaufman on November 22, 1947. Together they had four children: David, Sally, Tom, and Elizabeth. They divorced in 1965. He was married for a second time on May 12, 1968 to Margaret "Peg" Isabelle Forbes.

William H. Kaufman died on October 8, 2005 and was buried at Woodland Cemetery.

MacDonald, Edith Louisa Ahrens

  • Person
  • 1900-1993

Edith Louisa Ahrens MacDonald was born April 23, 1900 in Berlin (later Kitchener) Ontario to Henry Jacob Ahrens and Caroline Seiler. She married Hyalie Harris MacDonald May 21, 1925 in Berlin. Edith died in 1993 and was interred in Woodland Cemetery, Kitchener.

Macdonald, Hyalie Harris

  • Person
  • 1895 - 1943

Hyalie Harris MacDonald was born February 15, 1895 in Wellington, Ontario. He married Edna Louise Ahrens on May 21, 1925. MacDonald died November 10, 1947 in Kitchener, Ontario and was buried at Woodland Cemetery.

Maines, Frederick J.T.

  • Person
  • 1888-1959

Frederick James Thompson Maines was born in ca. 1888 in Tweed, Ontario. He married Minnie O'Hara of nearby Madoc on November 9, 1922. Maines was educated at Victoria University, Toronto and was ordained to the ministry while serving with the YMCA overseas during the WWI. After the war he served as Boys' Work secretary for the Hamilton YMCA and as general secretary of the YMCA in Hamilton and Galt. He served for five years with the YMCA War Services during WWII. He was minister of the Church of Divine Revelation in St. Catharine's, Ont. from 1930 to 1935. In 1935 he and Minnie moved to Kitchener, Ont. to pursue business interests. He died April 13, 1959.

Pollock, Arthur Bell

  • Person
  • 1877-1951

Arthur B. Pollock was born in Linwood, Ontario on May 24, 1877. His parents, David and Barbara (nee Livingston) were both born in Scotland. He married Rachel "Racie" L. Boehmer on September 2, 1902 in Kitchener and together they had a son, Carl Arthur. Pollock founded the Pollock Manufacturing Co. in 1907, which later became Dominion Electrohome Industries, Ltd. Pollock died at home on December 16, 1951.

Schneider, Charles Alexander

  • Person
  • 1884-1945

Charles Alexander Schneider was born on November 17, 1884, the first child of John Metz and Helena (nee Ahrens) Schneider. He began working with his father at a young age and worked at one point in a hardware store to gain retail experience. He was eventually named a director of the J.M. Schneiders, Ltd., where he was responsible for the management of the shipping department. "Schneider married Georgina Allendorf in 1908, and they had one daughter: Lorraine Katharine (1910-1993).

Outside of work Schneider was interested in the promotion of amateur sports. Schneider sponsored minor league baseball teams and was interested in fish and game conservation. He was a member of the Knights of Pythias and was a member of the Church of the Good Shepherd. In his later hears he became a hobby farmer with a farm “The Forest View” near Blair. He died June 24, 1945, in Kitchener, at his 51 Schneider Avenue home and was buried at Woodland Cemetery.

Schneider, Ethel Lapsley

  • Person
  • 1894-1988

Ethel May Lapsley was born in Galt, Ontario (now Cambridge) on March 31, 1894 to William Henry and Clara Sophia Lapsley. She was married to Norman Christoph, owner of J.M. Schneider’s Ltd., with whom she had three children: Herbert John, Howard George, and Brita. She was an active member of the Canadian Red Cross, volunteering with the organization for 60 years. Schneider died at Victoria Place in Kitchener on September 23, 1988 and was buried at Woodland Cemetery.

Schneider, Frederick Henry

  • Person
  • 1890-1967

Fredrick Henry was born on August 1, 1890 in Berlin, Ontario (now Kitchener) to John M. and Helena Schneider. He attended public school in Berlin followed by one year at Euler's Business College, entering the family business at the age of sixteen. By 1907 he was serving as a clerk and meat cutter in the family's retail store. He would go on to become the second president of the company, a position he held from 1943 to 1963. He was also Chairman of the Board of Directors of J.M. Schneider Ltd. He organized the first sales staff and promoted the first insurance and pension plans for J.M. Schneider employees. Fredrick and his brother Norman, decided to abandon the plant their father had begun on Courtland Avenue and constructed a new plant on Courtland Avenue East.

In the community, Frederick Henry served on the Board of Directors of both the Waterloo Trust and Savings Co. and the Equitable Life Insurance of Canada. He was elected president of the Meat Packers Council of Canada three times. He served on the Municipal Council of Kitchener as well as Chairman of the Public School Board.

Schneider married Ella Eugenia Daniels on May 12, 1914 and together they had two children: Jean May and Frederick Paul. Frederick H. Schneider died November 9, 1967 and was buried at Woodland Cemetery in Kitchener.

Schneider, Frederick Paul

  • Person
  • 1926-2011

Fred Paul Schneider was born in Kitchener, Ontario on March 14, 1926 to parents Frederick Henry and Ella Daniels Schneider. He attended Kitchener-Waterloo Collegiate Institute, graduated in 1947 from McMaster University with a B.A., and in 1949 from the University of Toronto with a Masters of Commerce degree. He married Frances Jean Cressman on July 11, 1953 with whom he had five children: Peter Frederick, Daniel John, Anne Cecile, Margaret Ella, and Thomas Ervin.

Schneider joined J.M. Schneider Ltd. in 1949 working in Cost Accounting and went on to hold a number of positions: By-Products Manager (1961), Vice-President (1963), Executive Vice-president (1967), President (1968), Chief Executive Officer (1969) and Chairman of the Board (1970). He retired from the company in 1989 as one of the last Schneider family members to run the company, but carried on as a member of the Board of the Directors. He first joined the Board in 1952 and became Chairman in 1991, a position he held until retiring in 1992.

Over the course of his career served as president of the Canadian Meat Council and as president of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra Association, Inc. During the 1960's he was a trustee of the Board of Education, and from 1978-1984 was a Director of the Center in the Square. He was also a member of MEDA (Mennonite Economic Development Association), an association which aids third world countries. An environmentalist, Schneider was also responsible for planning thousands of trees and actively supported land stewardship efforts in the region.

Schneider died at home in Wilmot Township on September 19, 2011. He was cremated and interred at Woodland Cemetery in Kitchener.

Schneider, Georgina Allendorf

  • Person
  • 1887-1959

Georgina Allendorf was born on February 16, 1887 to parents Conrad and Magdalena Allendorf. She was the eighth of fourteen children and came from a family of wagon makers. She married Charles Alexander Schneider on October 26, 1862 with whom she had one daughter: Lorraine Katharine. Schneider died August 15,1959 in Kitchener and was buried at Woodland Cemetery.

Schneider, Helena Ahrens

  • Person
  • 1859-1944

Helena Schneider was community builder and volunteer born in Berlin (no Kitchener) Ontario on November 1, 1859 to parents Charles Andrew Ahrens and Charlotte Henrietta Roth at the family home on Queen Street. Helena married John Metz Schneider of Berlin on November 8th, 1883. The couple had five children: Charles Alexander; Herbert John; Norman Christoph; Frederick Henry and Emma Louise. John was the founder of J.M. Schneider Limited; he began making and selling sausages around 1890 from their home after an injury prohibited him from working at his job at a button factory.

Helena was an active member of the Good Shepherd church, the Ladies Auxiliary and of the Independent Dorcas Society and the Kitchener Red Cross. She served for a number of years on the Kitchener Orphanage Board, and was active in relief work, particularly during the depression years. Helena died on November 3rd, 1944 and is entombed at Woodland Cemetery, Kitchener with her husband who died in 1942.

Schneider, Herbert John

  • Person
  • 1926 -2006

Herbert John Schneider was born July 5, 1926 in Kitchener, Ontario to Norman and Ethel Schneider. Educated in local public schools he graduated from the Ontario Agricultural College in 1949 with a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture. He was married to Betty Ruppel on October 6, 1949 with whom he four children: Gretchen Ann, Eric Norman, Nancy Beth, and Michael Kurt.

Schneider joined J.M. Schneider Inc. in 1948 holding the positions of Production Supervisor and Plant Superintendent, and becoming Vice-President of Personnel and Public Relations, Vice-President and Vice Chairman of Schneider Corporation. He jointed the Board of Directors in 1952 and served as a member until 1997 when he retired as Chairman.

Over the course of his career he was Chairman of the Public Affairs and Marketing Committee of the Canadian Meat Council and a trustee of the National Institute of Nutrition. He was served as councillor for Waterloo Township, member of the Waterloo County Area Planning Board, Pine Grove Community Association, the K-W YMCA Board of Directors, the Vice-President of K-W Oktoberfest, and Chairman of the Town and Country Dinner. He has also served as President of the Board of Directors of the Church of the Good Shepherd (Swedenborgian).

Schneider died suddenly on January 29, 2006.

Schneider, Howard George

  • Person
  • 1929-1988

Howard George was born on February 18, 1929 to parents Norman and Ethel Schneider. He was married to Betty Louise Becker with whom he had six children with; Gregory, Pamela, Christopher, Philip, James, and Stephen. He was a member of the Board of Directors of the Schneider Inc. since 1957. He was also the Director of Research and Development for the company and a member of the Technical Research Committee of the Canadian Meat Council. He died on March 28, 1988 and was buried at Woodland Cemetery in Kitchener.

Schneider, J.M. (John Metz)

  • Person
  • 1859-1942

John Metz Schneider was a business owner and community builder. The first child of Christoph and Anna Schneider, he was born in Berlin (later Kitchener) on February 17, 1859. He grew up on the family farm but moved into Berlin as a young man to find work in the Dominion Button Works. It was there that he met Helena Ahrens, and they were married on November 8, 1883 at the Ahrens home in Berlin, Ontario. Together they had five children: Charles Alexander, Herbert John, Norman Christoph, Frederick Henry and Emma Louise.

An accident at Dominion Button Works in 1886 kept J.M. home for an extended period. His future as the founder of a major food processing company started with his efforts at this time to support his family. He and his family began to make sausages at home and J.M. sold them, door to door, even after he returned to work at the button factory. The success of this enterprise encouraged him to become a full time butcher, and in 1890 he built his own plant and shop on Courtland Avenue in Berlin . J.M. Schneider Limited became one of the most important industries in Kitchener, known around the world, its reputation based on J.M. Schneider’s personal virtues of thrift, honesty, quality and equality.

Beyond his business pursuits, Schneider was a trustee of the Church of the Good Shepherd, sang in the choir and helped lay the cornerstone of the new church in 1935. He was a member of the Board of Trade, was an alderman in 1905-1907, sponsored radio broadcasts of the Y.M.C.A. choir, and in 1938 started the Schneider Male Chorus.

J.M. died February 23, 1942 and was entombed at Woodland Cemetery, Kitchener.

Schneider, Norman Christoph

  • Person
  • 1888-1985

Norman Christoph Schneider was born in Berlin, Ontario (now Kitchener) on December 9, 1888, the third son of John Metz and Helena Ahrens. He was an engineer and worked from 1905-1910 at Tuerk Tool and Engine company, before joining J.M. Schneider Inc. as a stationary engineer. Over the course of his time with the company he served as company vice-president, president, chairman of the board and as a director, retiring in 1976. He was married to Ethel May Lapsley with whom he had three children: Herbert John, Howard George and Brita.

Beyond his work at Schneider's he served with the 118th Battalion, during the First World War, and served as a Member of Parliament for the riding of North Waterloo from 1952-1958. He won a by-election in 1952, was re-elected in 1953 and 1956, but was defeated in 1958 by Conservative O.W. Weichel. He participated actively in community affairs, serving with the Kitchener Young Men's Club, the Red Cross, the Kitchener Rotary Club, Chamber of Commerce, Federated Charities, Salvation Army, Children's Aid, YWCA, University of Waterloo, St. Mary's Hospital, Doon Pioneer Village, K-W High School Board, Kitchener Citizen's Fire Prevention Committee, Waterloo Township Plowman's Association, Grand River Valley Conservation Commission, Kitchener Downtown Urban Renewal Development Committee, the Schneider Male Choir, and as a director of the Economical Mutual Insurance Co. He was a lifelong member of the Church of the Good Shepherd (Swedenborgian) and served for twenty-five years as Sunday school superintendent and member of the Board of Directors.

Schneider was an aviation enthusiast influencing the development of related amenities in the Region of Waterloo. He was involved in establishing the Kitchener-Waterloo Airport on Lexington Road in Waterloo in 1930 and assisted with the selection of the site of the Waterloo-Wellington Airport in Breslau, Ontario. He served on the airport commission from its founding in 1946 until 1971 and in 1973 the new terminal building was named in his honour. Schneider became an avid skier in his 40's and was a founding member of the Chicopee Ski Club. He also had an interest in motorcycles and automobiles resulting in the 1956 of a LeRoy car built in Kitchener in 1899, which he subsequently donated to Doon Pioneer Village. Finally, an active amateur photographer, he covered the Olympics in Berlin for The Record and in 1929 was the official movie photographer for Kitchener when the King and Queen visited the city.

He was awarded an honorary doctorate by Waterloo Lutheran University (now Wilfrid Laurier University) in 1966 and a Centennial medal in 1967 on the occasion of Canada's 100th birthday.

Schneider died August 26, 1985 at his home in Kitchener and was buried at Woodland Cemetery.

Schneider, Wilhelm Christoph

  • Person
  • 1867-1952

Wilhelm Christoph Schneider was born on September 30, 1867 to parents Johann Christoph and Anna Schneider. He married Emma Kennedy, with whom he had nine children: Edwin, Alvin, Walter, Alfred, Carl, Lenore, Edna, Eva, and Isabelle. In 1901 he was a farmer and then in 1911 he went into the business of tannery. He died at his Kitchener home on February 10, 1952.

Shantz, Lorne Rayborn

  • Person
  • 1905-1982

Lorne Rayborn "Ray" Shantz was born March 16, 1905 in Plattsville, Ontario, the son of Jacob M. Shantz and Mary Ann Bingeman. He moved to Kitchener in 1925, where he met and married Lorraine Schneider. Shantz retired from his position as Advertising and Public Relations Manager at J.M. Schneider Inc. in 1970. He was first elected to the Kitchener Public School Board in 1946, serving as the chairman of Physical Health and Safety Committee in 1947 and as Board chairman from 1948 to 1949 and in 1953. He died January 1, 1982 and was buried at Woodland Cemetery.

Shantz, Lorne Raymond

  • Person
  • 1934-2009

Lorne Raymond Shantz was born August 1, 1934 to Lorne Rayborn and Lorraine Shantz (nee) Schneider. He worked for J.M. Schneider, Inc. for 41 years. Shantz moved to Southampton, Ontario following his retirement, where he died November 25, 2009 at 75 years of age. He was buried at Woodland Cemetery in Kitchener.

Shantz, Lorraine Schneider

  • Person
  • 1910-1993

Lorraine Schneider Shantz was born on July 27,1910 and was the only child of Charles and Georgina Schneider. She married Lorne Rayburn Shantz and together they had two children:, Lorne Raymond and Charles Alexander. Shantz died at St. Mary's Hospital on September 12, 1993 and was buried at Woodland Cemetery.

Shupe, Charlotte Mary Ahrens

  • Person
  • 1885-1969

Charlotte "Lottie" Mary Ahrens was born in January 12, 1885 in Berlin (later Kitchener) Ontario to parents Charles August Ahrens and Laura Emma Hirschy. She had two siblings; Frederick Hirschy and Florence Louisa. She married Stanley Shupe of Dunnville, Ontario on January 11, 1916. In the 1921 Census the couple and a son, Charles, aged 5 were living with her parents in Berlin. She died July 11, 1969 and was buried in Woodland Cemetery, Kitchener.

Siegner, Emma Louise

  • Person
  • 1894-1994

Emma Louise Siegner was born on July 21, 1894 to parents John Metz and Helena Schneider, their only daughter and youngest child. She married Walter Valentine Siegner on June 23, 1920 with whom she had three children; John, Kathryn and Carolyn. Siegner died in Kitchener on June 15, 1994 of pneumonia in her 100th year of life and was buried at Woodland Park Cemetery.

Siegner, Walter Valentine

  • Person
  • 1897-1952

Walter Valentine Siegner was born on June 5, 1897 to parents Valentine and Elizabeth Siegner. He got married to Emma Louise on June 23, 1920 with whom he had three children; John, Kathryn, Carolyn. He was the president of W.V. Siegner Lumber Co. which he organized in 1924. He served on the Kitchener Public School Board for eight years from 1934 to 1937 and then 1943 to 1948. Included was service as chairman in 1948. Siegner died August 15, 1952 and was buried at Woodland Park Cemetery.