Carl Schnee, age 85, of Wilmington, DE, died on May 30th at Country House of Wilmington. He was born in Philadelphia on January 2, 1936 to Lee Rockower and Abraham Schnee.
After graduating from Overbrook High School in Philadelphia, Mr. Schnee received his B.A degree from Muhlenberg College and his law degree from Villanova University School of Law. In May 2000, he received a Master of Arts degree in Liberal Studies from the University of Delaware. Mr. Schnee had been a member of the Delaware Bar since 1962, practicing in the areas of general litigation, personal injury, professional malpractice, and criminal law. After serving in the Office of the Public Defender of Delaware, he was a partner with Tybout, Redfearn, and Schnee; then with Schnee and Castle; and later was managing partner with Prickett, Jones, Elliot, Kristol & Schnee, where, during an 18-year tenure, he was the senior member of the firm’s litigation section. He was appointed by President Clinton as the United States Attorney for the District of Delaware, serving from 1999–2001. After leaving the U.S. Attorney’s office, Mr. Schnee joined the Wilmington office of Duane Morris, and in January 2003, joined Bifferato, Bifferato, & Gentilotti. Carl retired from the active practice of law in 2008.
Aside from his extensive legal career, Mr. Schnee served as chair of the board for the YMCA Resource Center, the Delaware Art Museum, the Juvenile Re-Entry Program, each for several years, and for nearly a decade on the Delaware Criminal Justice Council. Carl was also a board member of the Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts, the Delaware State Arts Council, the Delaware Center for Justice, and the Delaware Bar Foundation, among other organizations.
His numerous awards and honors include the Distinguished Service Award from the Delaware State Bar Association, the Outstanding Service Award in Criminal Justice from the Delaware Council on Crime and Justice, and the Outstanding Volunteer Award from the YMCA of Delaware. Carl was the 2014 recipient of both the John Gardner Lifetime Achievement Award from Common Cause and the Order of the First State – Excellence in Serving Your Community and Your State from Delaware Governor Jack Markell.
Later in life, Mr. Schnee turned to teaching at the University of Delaware’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, where he instructed courses in criminal law, government, and programs on Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, Woodrow Wilson, and others. He was also a long-time student at Osher. Carl was known for his boundless energy, love of a good joke (or a bad one), devotion to hiking, biking, and running, and his ability to befriend everyone he met.
Carl is survived by his wife Doris, of 62 years; his children Michael, of Wilmington, DE; Paul (Amy), of Brooklyn, NY; and Linda (Martin), of Takoma Park, MD. He is also survived by his sister Judy Arsht of Santa Barbara, CA, and three grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Muhlenberg College, Villanova University, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, and the YMCA of Delaware. The family wishes to thank the staff of the Country House for all their assistance and special care during Carl’s residence there. In lieu of flowers please consider a donation in his memory to The Carl and Doris Schnee Foundation Fund at the Delaware Community Foundation.
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