Norman Duane Schnittker

Norman Duane Schnittker was born in the elevator of a hospital in Enid, Oklahoma, on June 8, 1949. Because his mother Virginia Ronck Schnittker did not make it to the delivery room in time, his father Norman Francis Schnittker refused to pay the delivery room fee. Such a memorable beginning was the start of a life well-lived full of equally memorable stories until his passing on July 11, 2026, in Brentwood, California.

Duane was raised on a farm near Cunningham, Kansas, where his lifelong work ethic was formed bucking hay bales, plowing long hours in the field, and getting up in the night to check on the farrowing hogs. He shared his childhood with older brother Gerald and younger siblings Janice and Robert. He attended grade school in the tiny village of St Leo, where the Catholic nuns who were the majority of his teachers, were known to use picking up a full container of broken glass on the playground during recess as punishment. While not habitually in trouble, Duane figured out quickly that he could bury the required amount of glass near the ball field, unbury it, and be back for his next turn at bat. He has asked that his final resting place be near that schoolyard.

Duane attended and graduated from Cunningham High School with 21other members of the Class of ’67, many of whom remained lifelong friends. Between his sophomore and junior summers, Duane grew from 5’10” to the 6’3” hearty man that we all came to know. He delighted answering the question, “How tall are you?” with a perfectly serious “5-15” and watching the puzzled looks come over the inquirer’s face. While he played both basketball and football, his favorite was the latter, but playing 8-man football didn’t garner much attention for taking that much further, so from being a Cunningham wildcat, Duane became a Kansas State University wildcat.

In 1974 Duane graduated from KSU as a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. It was during this period of time that he met and married his wife of 53 years, Sue Tasker Schnittker, who survives him. Duane always credited Sue for saving him from a life as a hog farmer. During Dr. Schnittker’s 35 years of practice, he diagnosed and treated not only traditional large and small animals but a few exotic animals as well while an associate with the Conejo Valley Veterinary Hospital in Thousand Oaks, California. He had wonderful stories to tell of those days, but he was most proud of moving permanently to the small town of Brentwood in 1979 and owning the Brentwood Veterinary Hospital until his retirement at the age of 60 in 2009. He loved his patients, their owners, and the wonderful staff that supported him.

Duane and Sue were blessed with two daughters, who also survive him, Sarah Serrin of Los Gatos, CA and Theresa Rhoades of Southlake, TX. He raised his girls with love, laughter, and wonderful memories of tossing them around in the backyard pool, skiing on the Delta, and playing ASA softball. In time, his beloved family grew to include Theresa’s husband David and their sons Greyson and Dawson Rhoades and Sarah’s daughters Addison and Janson Serrin. In the last years of practice, Duane was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease, and one of his only sorrows in life was that his grandchildren never knew him before his diagnosis and with the abilities that it gradually stole from him.

Duane was a man of great humor and a wonderful storyteller, some of which have been preserved in a precious memoir entitled Tales and Tails, My Life and My Career. He was an outstanding father, Papa, mentor, and friend. He was an outstanding provider and husband. To say, “He will be missed” is an understatement.

Duane maintained his level of activity and fought the progression of Parkinson’s for more than 25 years. It was a heartbreaking day when he had to hang up his golf bag, but during this time he and Sue formed a local Parkinson’s support group that Duane suggested be named the Delta Shadow Boxers because its members are fighting something that we cannot see. Duane and Sue were also instrumental in bringing a Rock Steady Boxing program to this area that thrives today and provides, not only the physical activity that those with PD must maintain, but also a social environment surrounded by those who “get it.”

Consequently, the members of his family request that any donations in this memory be made to the non-profit Delta Shadow Boxers Parkinson’s Support Group, 1036 Pacific Grove Court, Brentwood, CA 94513. A celebration of his life will be planned for the future. Please plan to share your favorite memory of him. Our greatest comfort is that he is gone but not forgotten.