Robert Schneiger Obituary

Schneiger, Robert Age 67, died on January 15, 2017, after a courageous struggle with brain cancer. It was a struggle he undertook with his typical determination and good humor. He was surrounded by those who loved him son, Mike; brothers, Tom and Frank; dear friend, Susan Mackey; nieces and nephews and his many lifelong friends. Bob was born in Milwaukee, attended Marquette High School, and then graduated from the University of Wisconsin in Madison. He began his study of filmmaking at Columbia College Chicago, where he made a documentary about his father's retirement at the American Motors auto plant in Milwaukee. Bob later returned to teach at Columbia. His early career in Chicago included work at various post production companies, including a long stint at Towers Production. He founded his own production company, Flatiron Films. The award-winning film Uptown Sounds, a labor of love that he wrote, produced and directed, propelled him into the world of independent documentary films. It reflected his desire to speak for those who could not speak for themselves. He produced and directed The Murder of Mathew Shepard for A&E, along with many other documentaries. Along the way he earned a coveted Peabody Award. Broadcast TV became his next home. Dramatic credits include USA Network's Sins of the City, and Flatland starring Dennis Hopper. Flatland was the first American TV series produced entirely in the Republic of China. Upon his return from China, he supervised, directed and wrote over 300 hours of high-quality programming for A&E, National Geographic Channel, History Channel and Discovery Channel. These shows included Inside 911, American Justice, Storm Stories, and Conspiracy and Biography. Later Bob co-created and produced three seasons of A&E's First 48: Missing Persons. This series followed the Chicago Police Missing Person's teams live as they investigated their cases. It continues to play to this day. Bob had a rich life of friendship, adventure and a never-ending interest in the world around him.He had an encyclopedic knowledge of history, music, pop culture, and politics. He was a true "Renaissance man". A city kid, he had a deep and abiding love for his Wisconsin River Valley farm, where he produced apples and his signature "Bob's Happy Hippie Honey." He loved hiking, biking and canoeing. A celebration of Bob's life will be held in early summer of 2017. Check Facebook and Caring Bridge for the date. His family would like to express our deep appreciation to the wonderful and caring staffs of the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago and Symphony of Lincoln Park for everything they did to make Bob's last months as comfortable as possible.