LeRoy Charles Schneider was born in lowa in 1921. He had 3 siblings Charlene, Verla, & Don.

He grew up in a 2-story white farmhouse cooking the family meals for his sick mother, tending livestock, hunting, and raising grain & corn. He excelled in school, especially History. He was proud of the fact that he was President & Salutatorian of his graduating class.

With the start of WWII, LeRoy joined the Air Force. He quickly made friends, who fittingly nicknamed him Buddy. After losing his hearing during training on a B24 Bomber, he stayed on as shift manager for 16 cooks, serving meals for up to 3,300 men. He was truly honored to serve our country.

In 1951, Buddy married Ethel Friedman. They had 1 daughter, Joyce. Ethel passed away in

1964. A cousin, Mary Mullen, instigated the correspondence between Buddy & his 2nd wife Nancy, who had 4 sons, Phil, Mike, Pat, & John. The first time Buddy visited Oregon, he decided this is where he wanted to spend the rest of his life. Together, Buddy & Nancy had 1 daughter, Laura. He also has 17 grandchildren & 14 great grandchildren.

After painting his sister in law's house as a favor, he made painting houses his life's work. He became a Rodeo Member in 1970 and did most of the painting at the rodeo grounds until retirement. He was inducted into the St. Paul Rodeo Hall of Fame in 2007. He was also an active member and volunteer for St. Paul Parish.

Buddy loved socializing & hunting with friends, reading, dancing, going to the beach, & woodworking. Trips to the casino, smoking his pipe, and cats were other things he adored. He repaired furniture for the cost of a kiss. He was known for his chicken fried steak, fried oysters, clam chowder and especially for his ability to tell jokes. He was deifinitely an icon and will be missed deeply.