Robert E. "Rob" Schneider

Robert Edwin Schneider passed away peacefully on September 3 at his home in Longmont, Colorado, surrounded by loved ones, concluding his fierce fight against bile duct cancer.

Rob was born on September 1, 1967, in Madison, Wisconsin, to Robbie and Annette Schneider. He grew up in the nearby Swiss settlement of New Glarus before the family moved to Nederland, Colorado, in 1982. Rob graduated from Nederland Junior/Senior High School in 1986, where he and his siblings contributed to several community projects designed by their father, including the construction of the Visitor Center, the Pedestrian Bridge, and the Barker Reservoir Trail.

In 1988, Rob married his high school sweetheart, Kimberly (Wade), during his sophomore year at the University of Colorado Boulder. Throughout their marriage, they attended several local churches and served wherever they were called. Rob earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering in 1990 and went on to work for several innovative biomedical companies in Boulder, most recently at Tensentric, where he spent the last 20 years of his career.

His engineering skills were sharpened early through work in the machine shop of his revered mentor, Paul Emmerling. Rob was honored to work under Paul in some of his first postgraduate roles. At Tensentric, Rob’s role expanded to include mentoring new graduates, many of whom recall how excited they were to work with him and how they continue to carry his wisdom with them today.

Over the course of his career, Rob was named on more than 50 U.S. patents and 5 international patents for surgical, implantable, and laboratory devices. His professional life was marked by a relentless passion for problem-solving and elegant design, always with the goal of improving the lives of others.

Rob had a quick wit and a quiet disposition. He chose his words carefully, speaking only when it was technically or comedically necessary. He found joy in tackling complex problems and took on the intricate craft of lutherie as a personal challenge. When his eldest son began learning guitar, Rob decided he could build a better one. That idea led to the creation of 12th Root Guitars, his own line of custom, hand-built instruments. A self-taught luthier, he designed and crafted more than 15 guitars, each requiring over 120 hours of meticulous work.

Coming from a musical family, Rob's love of music began in elementary school, where he played saxophone in the school band. He later joined the Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps, playing baritone. His lifelong passion for music and engineering lives on in every note played on one of his expertly crafted guitars.

Rob is survived by his wife, Kimberly; his sons, Kellen and Zachary Cole; his sisters, Ursi (Bruno) Gallati and Romanda (Dan) Ferris; his brothers, Richard (Kwilah) Schneider and Randall (Cathy) Schneider; and many beloved nieces, nephews, and cousins.

He is dearly loved and deeply missed by his family, extended family, coworkers, and longtime friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Robbie and Annette Schneider, and his sister, Susan Sajjadi (Booth) Funderburg.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Faith Community Lutheran Church General or Outreach Funds, the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation, or the Bill Collings Memorial Fund for Guitar Education in honor of Rob.