Donald P. Schnorr, 89, engineer and former Schuylkill Navy commodore
Mr. Schnorr, an accomplished oarsman, was a referee with U.S. Rowing for many years. He also was such a fan of the VW Beetle that he drove one until a passenger put a foot through the deteriorating floorboard.
Donald P. Schnorr, 89, formerly of Wyndmoor, a retired electrical engineer and former commodore of the Schuylkill Navy, died Tuesday, May 16, of heart failure at Cathedral Village in Roxborough, where he had lived for the past five years.
Mr. Schnorr served in leadership positions with Burroughs Corp., Radio Corp. of America, and Martin Marietta, all in South Jersey. He designed defense systems for battleships from the General Electric Aerospace facility in Moorestown, retiring in 1992 after 32 years of service.
The recipient of numerous professional awards, he authored more than 30 technical publications, as well as two books on printed circuit design for computers. While working for Burroughs in 1960, he had a patent registered involving a centering device for a control stick used on airplanes.
One of four children born to Carl and Anna Gartler Schnorr in Buffalo, N.Y., he graduated from Buffalo Technical High School. He earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., and a master of business administration degree from Drexel University.
Mr. Schnorr always felt an attraction to boats and boating. He enjoyed sailing up and down the East Coast. "He was always the boat's cook," said daughter Ansie Monaghan. "He made bread. He was a great baker."
An enthusiastic oarsman, Mr. Schnorr began competing in high school and went on to be a founding member of Purdue University Crew.
Once he had settled in Philadelphia in 1958, he rowed for the Vesper Boat Club, where he met his future wife, Dolly Hill, who was on the Vesper Club's swim team. He served as president of Vesper before joining the University Barge Club. He also was commodore of the Schuylkill Navy.
Mr. Schnorr was a referee with U.S. Rowing on the Schuylkill for many years, and continued to row and compete in master's races around the world until failing health forced his retirement from the sport in 2013.
In person, he was mostly serious, his daughter said. "He had a great sense of work ethic and duty because he had come from nothing. He was a man of God, and an Eagle Scout."
But he absolutely loved Volkswagen Beetles and drove one of them until a family member put a foot through the vehicle's deteriorating floor, she said.
In addition to his daughter and his wife of 56 years, he is survived by his identical twin brother, Ron; children Peter and Molly Dunne; and eight grandchildren.
A visitation starting at 9 a.m. Friday, May 26, will be followed by a 10 a.m. Funeral Mass at Our Mother of Consolation Catholic Church, 9 E. Chestnut Hill Ave. Interment will be private.
Memorial donations may be made to the Morris Arboretum, 9414 Meadowbrook Ave., Philadelphia 19118.