Dr. Richard "Rich" E. Schmieder, beloved husband and cherished father/step-father, passed away on July 22, 2013, at the age of 75. Despite suffering from chronic liver disease for the last several years, his strong will to live, unwavering faith in God, and the love and prayers of family, friends, and many supporters carried him through. He fought the disease fiercely- determined to make the most of every precious day. His family, of course, celebrated each one of those days and hoped they could continue forever.

He was born in Erie, Pennsylvania, on September 13, 1937, to William and Louise Schmieder. He is preceded in death by his parents; his five sisters; and one brother, Dr. Allen Schmieder.

Rich is survived by his devoted wife of 24 years, Jyme Young Schmieder of Boerne, Texas; his sons Grant Schmieder of Frederick, Maryland, and Jon and wife Sharon Schmieder of Phoenix, Arizona; his step-daughters Lisa Koch and husband Kevin of Boerne and Jennifer Tropila of San Jose, California; his step-grandchildren Philip Blair, Ava Blair, Andrew Koch, Olivia Koch, Sean Koch and Ryan Koch; his sister, Eleanor Noonan of Erie, Pennsylvania; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Rich had an insatiable quest for knowledge. He received his primary education in Erie, Pennsylvania, and his undergraduate at Edinboro University in Edinboro, Pennsylvania. He started his Doctorate in Geography at Penn State and completed it at University of Kansas. He also earned a Doctorate in Education Administration at University of Arizona in Tucson.

During his educational tenure, he was a distinguished and influential teacher, coach, Principal and Assistant Superintendent in California. In addition, he was also the Adjunct Professor at the Universities of Kansas, Arizona and Stanford. Combining this knowledge with his entrepreneurial spirit, Rich was the founder of Rich's Guide to Silicon Valley which was used by the Queen of England and President Reagan when they visited the Bay Area in California. He was the founder of Mentor Learning Systems which produced educational software programs for education and industrial training. He also completed the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, National Security Management course. He eventually ended his vast and varied career as Director of Worldwide Training for mainframes at Hewlett-Packard in California.

One of Rich's pastime passions was playing Bridge and he became a Life Master in 1962. He also enjoyed following sports, especially football, basketball and golf. Always a devoted and faithful believer, he recently became a member of St. Helena's Episcopal Church. Bishop Folts was a sincere source of strength and comfort not only for Rich, but also for his family. Rich could fill up a room with his gregariousness and was someone who always saw the positive in everything and everyone. He inspired people to challenge themselves to be a better person.

A Memorial Mass will be held on Tuesday, August 6, 2013, at 11:00 a.m., at St. Helena's Episcopal Church in Boerne. To leave condolences for the family and to view a video of Richard's life, please visit www.ebensberger-fisher.com and select the Obituaries tab. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Gift of Hope .org to promote organ donation awareness.

Arrangements with Ebensberger-Fisher Funeral Home of Boerne, Texas.