(Wednesday, June 10, 2026)
I just finished writing my short speech for the funeral:
As a family, we spent many years fishing together in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. One of my favorite events was sharing the stream trout opening at Whitewater State Park with our cousins and uncles and grandpa Pokie. I remember standing on the grassy shore of the cold river with my fishing reel, waiting for the season to begin at 8 a.m. Someone would yell when the clock hit 8, and then we all threw our hooks in the water together. Years later I discovered Minneiska is Dakota for “white water.”
My father and uncle Don Schneider were competitive at waterskiing and fishing on beautiful Lake Pepin. We would try for smallmouth bass close to the shoreline, and occasionally fish in the deep middle of the lake for catfish. These memories are from the days before carp began to enter the Mississippi.
In the years prior to the establishment of Voyageurs National Park, we would sometimes head up north and stay at an island cabin on Lake Kabetogama. Walleyes were a goal, and I think those were Dad’s favorite fish. When Jo and I were in grade school, Dad bought a little Lund boat and a tent. We would often camp at Father Hennepin State Park to fish for walleyes on Lake Mille Lacs. Later he purchased an RV and a bigger boat. Eventually he and Mom became the owners of the lovely old log cabin at Wahkon Bay on Mille Lacs.
At our cabin I made the decision to fish with Dad nearly every time he headed out on the big lake, the lake famous for walleyes. Back then, at least, daughters were less interested in fishing than sons, but I had an ulterior motive: I wanted to get closer to my father, to know him better. Early in childhood he had worked second shift, so we did not see him very much.
Dad and I would sit in the boat for hours and hours. When the fish weren’t biting, it was a quiet and relaxing time in nature for us. When they were hungry, we had fun helping each other pull them up out of the water. If the Twins were playing baseball, he turned on his radio. My father taught me so much about fishing I became the one who usually caught the most and the largest fish, even more than he did. He bought me a special fish knife and we would carve up the walleyes or perches together.
I don’t eat fish these days as I have been a vegetarian for many years. But I will always have loving memories of the time Dad spent alone with me in his boat on Lake Mille Lacs.
