John Schneider III

John Schneider III, 91 of Newtown, CT, formerly of Cambridge, passed away on Thursday October 8, 2009 at the "MasoniCare at Newtown" nursing home in Newtown, CT. He was born in Oshkosh, Wisconsin on July 11, 1918, and was a son of the late Dr. John F. and Rebecca R. Seely Schneider.

Mr. Schneider moved to Cambridge in 1933, and graduated from Cambridge High School in 1936. He later graduated from Lehigh University in Pennsylvania in 1942 with a bachelor's degree in business. He received a commission in the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1942 and did pilot training at the South East Training Command. He was stationed in England as an operations and air control officer, and liaison to the Royal Air Force Bomber Command, and was Honorably Discharged in 1946 with the rank of captain. On May 26, 1942 he was married to the former Martha Jane Geoghegan. His working career was largely spent in advertising and promotion. Mr. Schneider was the first manager of the Cambridge radio station known then as WCMD. He joined the National Brewing Co. in Baltimore in 1958 as sales promotion manager, and remained with the company for 25 years, retiring in 1983 as national director of merchandising. During his career he was responsible for coordinating the radio and television broadcasts of the Baltimore Orioles and Baltimore Colts, working closely with broadcasters like Chuck Thompson during the peak years for the two franchises. The beer company sponsored the teams through the 1960s and 1970s. He also helped develop promotions like the "Home Run Derby," the company's "Land of Pleasant Living" ad campaigns, and its use of the skipjack Chester Peake on promotional tours around the Chesapeake Bay area. When the Chesapeake Bay Bridge opened in 1952, John became one of the original exurban commuters a�" driving from Cambridge to Baltimore and back each day. He moved to Sandy Hook, Conn., in 2007. Mr. Schneider had been in failing health for several years, when he passed away on Thursday .

Survivors include his wife Martha J. of West Jefferson, NC, four children, John Schneider IV, of Sandy Hook Conn., Barbara Ellen Schneider Saturn of New York City, Martha Saturn of Jefferson, N.C., and Howard Schneider of Takoma Park, Md., as well as five grandchildren and four great grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday October 24 ^th at 2:00 PM at the Thomas Funeral Home, P.A. in Cambridge. Interment will follow at Old Trinity Churchyard. The family will receive friends during the hour preceding the service. Memorial contributions may be made to Grace United Methodist Church, 501 Race Street, Cambridge, MD 21613.