Dates
Lionyel Gene Schkade (90) went to his heavenly home on Sunday, December 10, 2023, at home in San Angelo, Texas after a short but aggressive battle with cancer.
He was born on July 22, 1933, to O.E. Schkade and Lois Holland Schkade.
Gene spent the first 10 years of his life moving from town to town as his father moved with the oilfield. He finally grew so tired of not having a home that he hitchhiked all the way across Texas to his grandparents’ home in the little town of Providence, Texas, where he lived until he graduated from Van High School in 1950.
After graduation, he went to work with his father, O.E. Schkade in the oilfield and eventually decided oilfield work was not for him, so he attended college during the day and worked for his dad on the rig at night for two years. He then decided to open up the Lake Nasworthy Marina which he would run for the next 51 years. During those years, he earned the Excellence in Business award from the Marine Retailers Association of Texas and was the President of the Boating Trades Association of Texas, leading BTAT to achieve the Take Pride in America Award presented at the White House for the Texas Lakeshore Cleanup project. He was known throughout West Texas as a man of integrity and hard work, someone who would honor his promises, always tell you the truth, and considered each of his customers to be “a close personal friend.”
Gene married his love and partner in work and life, Sandra Ball, on February 15, 1969, and they not only worked together at the Marina, but enjoyed taking trips to Europe and camping in wilderness locations with friends (until she talked him into purchasing a motor home to make camping easier.) A lot of memories were made on these trips along with a lot of laughter.
Gene was an avid fisherman and hunter and was equally happy riding his mule Handsome up into the mountains to hunt or sitting in his son-in-law Kent’s boat fishing on Lake Amistad. And of course, the stories told after each excursion grew a little bit in each telling.
Gene is survived by his wife, Sandra Ball Schkade and their daughter Vicki Terrill and husband Kent Terrill, his sons Randal Schkade and Rick Schkade and wife Sylvia Schkade, and his daughter Jeanice Freeman and husband Joe Freeman, and grandchildren Michael Mclaurin, Heston Schkade and wife Danielle Schkade, Kristi Schkade, Heather Schkade, and Will Terrill, two great-grandchildren, Jayce and Nolan Schkade, and sister Lurene Irvin and husband H.D. Irvin.
Visitation will be on Thursday, December 14, at 1:00pm, followed by the funeral service at 2:00pm, both at Trinity Lutheran Church. A family-only graveside service will be held afterward.
The family requests that in lieu of flowers, memorials be made to the Trinity Lutheran School Endowment Fund, at the San Angelo Area Foundation, 221 S. Irving St, San Angelo TX 76903.