Ruth Fischer Schneider
Birth: 19 Mar 1925, San Francisco, CA
Death: 25 Dec 1978, Menlo Park, CA
Spouse: Ruben Schneider
Birth: 25 Jan 1915, San Francisco, California
Death: 22 Dec 2012, Menlo Park, CA
Marriage: 13 Jul 1946, San Francisco
Children: Gary Charles (1950-)
Carol Julie (1952-)
Bruce Henry (1953-)
Diane Alice (1956-)
Ruth Barbara Fischer was born on March 19, 1925, at 9 Chenery Street in San Francisco. At the age of five, the family moved to the flats on Funston Avenue, in the Richmond District, where she grew up. She most likely went to Frank McCoppin Elementary and Presidio Middle School. She was a bright and happy child who was always smiling. Smiling was important to her. Her daughter Carol remembered her always saying that “you have to have a smile on your face when you meet people.” She had a beautiful smile, and it set the tone for all interaction with her.
Ruth attended George Washington High School. Being born in March, she was a member of the class of ‘42X, meaning she graduated in December of 1942. Back then, the San Francisco public schools adhered to the philosophy that childhood development ranged greatly over the course of a year and that students born in the last half of the year were too far behind those born in the first half to keep up. The school-age population of the City was large enough at the time to support separate half-year classes. Ruth was Miss Personality and was very popular in high school. She was elected class president of her class. Her yearbook entry said, “enjoys basketball and reading…collects records…she will study at JC after graduation.” She loved to sing, and her daughter Carol referred to her as a “rah-rah,” that is, she would sing school fight songs. Her son Gary remembered her always singing show tunes and that she loved Barbara Streisand (though she came to appreciate Janis Joplin). Like her sister, Ruth was also a member of the Esthers, the girls wing the Order of the Easter Star.
After graduation, Ruth did go to City College, but, as the War progressed, her priorities changed. She decided not to continue college after her brother enlisted and went off to Tonopah Air Base in Nevada. During the War, Ruth was a USO volunteer. At a USO dance in 1945, Ruthie met a handsome, redheaded Naval Lieutenant named Ruben Schneider. It was love at first sight.
Death: 25 Dec 1978, Menlo Park, CA
Spouse: Ruben Schneider
Birth: 25 Jan 1915, San Francisco, California
Death: 22 Dec 2012, Menlo Park, CA
Marriage: 13 Jul 1946, San Francisco
Children: Gary Charles (1950-)
Carol Julie (1952-)
Bruce Henry (1953-)
Diane Alice (1956-)
Ruth Barbara Fischer was born on March 19, 1925, at 9 Chenery Street in San Francisco. At the age of five, the family moved to the flats on Funston Avenue, in the Richmond District, where she grew up. She most likely went to Frank McCoppin Elementary and Presidio Middle School. She was a bright and happy child who was always smiling. Smiling was important to her. Her daughter Carol remembered her always saying that “you have to have a smile on your face when you meet people.” She had a beautiful smile, and it set the tone for all interaction with her.
Ruth attended George Washington High School. Being born in March, she was a member of the class of ‘42X, meaning she graduated in December of 1942. Back then, the San Francisco public schools adhered to the philosophy that childhood development ranged greatly over the course of a year and that students born in the last half of the year were too far behind those born in the first half to keep up. The school-age population of the City was large enough at the time to support separate half-year classes. Ruth was Miss Personality and was very popular in high school. She was elected class president of her class. Her yearbook entry said, “enjoys basketball and reading…collects records…she will study at JC after graduation.” She loved to sing, and her daughter Carol referred to her as a “rah-rah,” that is, she would sing school fight songs. Her son Gary remembered her always singing show tunes and that she loved Barbara Streisand (though she came to appreciate Janis Joplin). Like her sister, Ruth was also a member of the Esthers, the girls wing the Order of the Easter Star.
After graduation, Ruth did go to City College, but, as the War progressed, her priorities changed. She decided not to continue college after her brother enlisted and went off to Tonopah Air Base in Nevada. During the War, Ruth was a USO volunteer. At a USO dance in 1945, Ruthie met a handsome, redheaded Naval Lieutenant named Ruben Schneider. It was love at first sight.
Ruben was a native San Francisco. He was the youngest of the four sons of Philip Schneider and Jennie Weisberg. The older three boys—Ben, Sam and Carl—were all born in Russia. Philip was a tailor and cap maker who had immigrated with his family from Russia to San Francisco in 1912. Ruben grew up at 1752 Steiner and 423 Scott Street. He attended Crocker Middle School and Commerce High School. At Commerce, he was involved with lighting in the theatre.
Ruben was extremely intelligent and hardworking. He attended the University of San Francisco, graduating in 1937 with a degree in Chemistry. While at USF, he worked as a signalman for the cable spinners on the Bay Bridge. He continued his education at Berkeley, earning an MA in Chemistry in 1938. During his first semester there, he was in the papers because he was arrested in a riot. He was actually arrested “while trying to stop undergrads from blockading the way to a fire” and received a suspended sentence. After graduating, he went to work for The General Brewing Company (which made Lucky Lager) as a chemist, though the 1940 Census listed his occupation as a clerk in his father’s clothing store.
Ruben was a very active individual who went to the gym every day well into his 90s. He enjoyed riding horses, was an avid skier, and was a member of the Sierra Club. He was in the newspaper in 1942 for an eight-day trip with three other Sierra Club members to Sun Valley for the skiing, and there he connected with members of the National Ski Patrol. After the War, he even became a regional chief and first aid instructor with the National Ski Patrol. He was also an active member of the Shriners in San Francisco, like his future father-in-law.
Ruben was extremely intelligent and hardworking. He attended the University of San Francisco, graduating in 1937 with a degree in Chemistry. While at USF, he worked as a signalman for the cable spinners on the Bay Bridge. He continued his education at Berkeley, earning an MA in Chemistry in 1938. During his first semester there, he was in the papers because he was arrested in a riot. He was actually arrested “while trying to stop undergrads from blockading the way to a fire” and received a suspended sentence. After graduating, he went to work for The General Brewing Company (which made Lucky Lager) as a chemist, though the 1940 Census listed his occupation as a clerk in his father’s clothing store.
Ruben was a very active individual who went to the gym every day well into his 90s. He enjoyed riding horses, was an avid skier, and was a member of the Sierra Club. He was in the newspaper in 1942 for an eight-day trip with three other Sierra Club members to Sun Valley for the skiing, and there he connected with members of the National Ski Patrol. After the War, he even became a regional chief and first aid instructor with the National Ski Patrol. He was also an active member of the Shriners in San Francisco, like his future father-in-law.
Once America entered the War, Ruben felt the call to service. He gathered letters of recommendation from USF, Berkeley, and his previous employers and applied for Naval Officer's School in New York City. He quickly passed through the midshipman’s program, the communications program at Camp Bradford, and the Amphibious Warfare courses at Little Creek. He was then placed as an ensign aboard LST 122 in the South Pacific. Later he was transferred to the LST 181. These were tank-landing ships which were involved at Guadalcanal, Leyte, and the Philippine Liberation Campaign. Ruben rose to the rank of 2nd Lieutenant and Executive Officer, and, according to his son Gary, he served as the “alcohol procurement/manufacturing officer” for the crew. He was popular, needless to say.
Ruth and Ruben were married on July 13, 1946, in San Francisco. They honeymooned on a drive up the California Coast, camping and sometimes sleeping in the car (Ruth was not too happy about that), then over to Lake Tahoe.
That fall, they moved to Chicago so that Ruben could attend the Wahl-Henius Institute of Fermentology. Upon graduation, they moved back to San Francisco, and Ruben became a brewmaster at the General Brewing Company. General Brewing was established in San Francisco in 1933 and opened its factory in the Bay View District in 1934. In 1939, General Brewing took over a second plant in Vancouver, Washington, and Lucky Lager was brewed for the first time. By the late 1940s, Lucky Lager was leading the state in sales. Their slogan was "It's Lucky When You Live in California." They had surpassed the former top selling Acme Beer in part due to the poor reputation earned by Acme due to "skunky" beer sent to the troops during the War in the Pacific. Ruben probably had experienced that on his LSV.
That fall, they moved to Chicago so that Ruben could attend the Wahl-Henius Institute of Fermentology. Upon graduation, they moved back to San Francisco, and Ruben became a brewmaster at the General Brewing Company. General Brewing was established in San Francisco in 1933 and opened its factory in the Bay View District in 1934. In 1939, General Brewing took over a second plant in Vancouver, Washington, and Lucky Lager was brewed for the first time. By the late 1940s, Lucky Lager was leading the state in sales. Their slogan was "It's Lucky When You Live in California." They had surpassed the former top selling Acme Beer in part due to the poor reputation earned by Acme due to "skunky" beer sent to the troops during the War in the Pacific. Ruben probably had experienced that on his LSV.
In 1949, rather than shipping increasing amounts of beer to the growing population of Southern California, the company chose to build a plant there. They found a 37-acre walnut orchard on the outskirts of Azusa, 25 miles east of Los Angeles, that proved a suitable site. Ruben was transferred to Southern California where he supervised the building of the new plant. Construction was completed in May of 1949, and by August the first Lucky Lager brewed there was on sale. An article of Ruben’s—“Waste Disposal at a Modern Brewery”—was even published by the Water Environment Federation.
In March of 1950, Ruben’s father Philip passed away. Shortly after returning from the funeral, Ruth discovered she was pregnant for the first time. Their son Gary was born in November. Early in 1951, Ruben and Ruth returned to Northern California, where Ruben became Technical Director of Plant Operations in San Francisco. They bought the house at 243 Louise Lane in San Mateo in anticipation of their growing family. Carol was born in 1952, Bruce in 1953, and Dee in 1956. The difficult part of this time was the loss of Ruth’s mother Juel and of her Aunt Gert.
Life on Louise Lane was very typical of 1950s America. The Schneiders were just one of several growing families in the neighborhood, and this cul-de-sac was perfect for playing outside all day. At the end of the block was an alley that led into the West Hillsdale Park. All the parents were all very social, and Ruth was in her element at the center of things. There was even a celebrity on the block when 49ers’ head coach Red Hickey moved his family in. Another family on the block was the Pottsmans. They had four children also, and Steve worked at the brewery with Ruben. They bought a car together to use for commuting to work.
Public schools on the Peninsula were excellent back then. The children went to Beresford Park Grammar School. The boys were in Cub Scouts, and the girls were in Rainbow Girls, which was a part of the Masons similar to the Esthers for Eastern Star. One of Ruben’s life-long passions was photography. He worked with both 16mm film and stills, but he was particularly proud of his stereographic slides that, like the old ViewMasters, show pictures in 3-D. There are many pictures and films of birthdays, Christmases, and Easter egg hunts from throughout his children’s early years. Bruce has maintained the collection and is converting the films to digital.
Summers were spent in South Lake Tahoe at Baldwin or Pope’s Beach. Ruben would drive the family up and drop them off for a month, commuting by plane during the week. He had an old Navy buddy who was a pit boss at Harrah’s, and they got into a lot of dinner shows. Ruth spent much of the time during the week under an umbrella while the kids were in the water and getting tanned. They would beg her to come out and get some sun. She would during the last few days and end up darker than everyone. Sometimes, the Schneiders were joined by the Rosens. Ruth and Marilyn were great friends, and Linda and Mark Rosen have very fond memories of their time together at Tahoe.
As the kids got older, winters involved ski trips. The Bonneville would be packed with six sets of skis and poles and off they would go. Ruth would ski a little on the bunny slopes, but, according to Bruce, “she preferred the chalet with a cup of coffee in one hand and a cigarette in the other, and she always found someone to talk to.” Ruth could and would talk to anyone about anything. It was not uncommon later for the kids to come home after school and find their friends in conversation with Ruth. It sometimes seemed like they had come over to visit her rather than them.
Ruben’s job took him and Ruth to Europe on a number of occasions. Brew masters were very well respected in Europe, and the two of them had the red carpet rolled out. They went to the symphony in London and were seated in the Queen’s Box (Elizabeth was not there that night). One story Ruth told Bruce was about a dinner with mucky-mucks where she was seated next to a dignitary from Scotland. When she told him that her children’s names, she got an earful of the history of Robert the Bruce, King of the Scots.
In 1956, Ruben became more involved in the Master Brewers Association of America (MBAA). The MBAA had been established in 1912 as a counterweight to the Brewery Workers’ Union, of which Ruth’s great uncles Jim and Michael Silk had been president. In 1933, the MBAA had been reestablished with the express purpose of increasing the scientific knowledge of brewing. It was a perfect fit for Ruben. The University of California, Davis, had reestablished a viticulture and enology program after Prohibition to reflect the development of the international wine business. In 1956, Ruben contacted UC Davis chairman Emil Mrak about establishing a parallel brewing program. Two years later, when Ruben became president of the MBAA, he got the MBAA Research Foundation grant awarded to UC Davis’ brewing program. He also got Lucky to donate equipment. The program took off and has turned into a major part of the University. It is celebrated every Fall with a week-long Oktoberfest. They now have a Pico computerized brewing machine with a plaque dedicating it to Ruben.
Despite his occupation, Ruben and Ruth were not big drinkers. A cocktail before dinner was standard for the time, and Gary remembered that there was always beer in the refrigerator and in the garage—even in the drunk of the car—but it was drunk for taste not for getting drunk. Gary remembered his mother saying that her uncle Meyer used to bring beer to the Fischers’ house when she was growing up and got mad when he found out she and Alice were using it as a hair rinse.
In 1961, Ruth’s father Charlie passed away. As always seems to happen, distribution of the estate caused some tension within the family. Ruth was caught in the middle between Hal and Alice over the disposition of the bowling alley in Stockton, as Charlie had been a partner with the Blooms. There were some ruffled feathers, but family is family, and they worked it out.
That same year, Ruben was promoted to Vice President of the San Francisco plant. In 1963, Ruben was transferred to the Lucky’s brewery in Salt Lake City. The Salt Lake plant had been opened in 1960 as a centralized place for distribution throughout the Rockies, but it had not proved viable. Ruben took over as Vice President and General Manager of the plant and was charged with the process of closing it down.
Gary remembered that they went from the cul-de-sac on Louise Lane where everyone knew each other to Loren Von Drive where they were surrounded by Mormons and did not know anyone. The first night, all the neighbors came over to meet the Schneiders and were very friendly—that is, until they found out what Ruben did for a living. Then things turned cool quickly. Ruth’s morning ritual of a cup of coffee and a cigarette probably did not help. But the children had no problems finding friends. Like Louise Lane, there were lots of other children to play with. Bruce remembered lots activity and SNOW! And it was hard not to like Ruth and her smile. She made a few good friends there as well.
Ruth and Ruben did not raise their children in any particular religious tradition. Bruce said that the Golden Rule was the main thing in their house: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Occasionally, some of the Mormons would approach Ruben and invite him to visit Temple or go to services with them. He would listen politely and offer to take them on a tour of the Brewery in return. The same ones would never come back. The lack of a religious tradition did cause a hiccup when Bruce applied for advancement to Eagle Scout. His application was denied because he checked the “no religion” box and religion was a major part of scouting. His scoutmaster Frank Merrill (and Ruben) went to bat for him with the committee, though, and he was allowed to advance with a project that involved investigating and attending the various religious traditions of his Boy Scout peers. Bruce did achieve Eagle Scout rank.
In 1965, Ruben was transferred back to California where he resumed his position of VP for plant operations in San Francisco. This was fortuitous because Gary was about to start high school and California had the best schools in the country at the time. Also, the family all missed California and the rest of the Fischers and Schneiders. They bought the house at 140 Heather Drive, in Atherton. Ruth and Ruben would live there for the rest of their lives.
Life back in California started up just where it left off. Ruben went back to the SF plant. Ruth reestablished old friendships and made new ones. She had belonged to the San Mateo Women’s Club when they lived on Louise Lane, but she avoided the high debutante clubs in Menlo Park. The kids all attended Menlo-Atherton High School, and Ruth became very involved with the parents’ club. She even served as a hall monitor. In 1967, there were actual race riots on campus over the attempt to keep African-Americans from East Palo Alto and East Menlo Park, who actually lived in the school district, from attending Menlo High by canceling bussing for students who lived within 2 miles. Ruth and Ruben, who were staunchly anti-racist, joined a group called United Menlo-Atherton, an interracial parent group formed by friends Frank and Jen Merrill. By 1969, the students had formed a student UMA on campus, and the Mayor honored the group by declaring October 16, 1969, to be “United Menlo-Atherton Day.”
Ruth was always calm and unflappable. Being a high school hall monitor during a period of racial tensions and violence was not something to be feared and avoided. No more so than teaching Gary to drive the station wagon over Highway 92, nor dealing with Carol cutting her leg open at school and needing 100 stitches. Ruth was probably terrified inside, but she made sure no one else saw it because she knew that her outward calm would help others. In 1968, Ruth had another big scare, though, when she found a lump.
At the time, imaging technology for cancer diagnosis was in its infancy and most diagnosis was done by exploratory surgery. Lumpectomies had not been developed yet either, so Ruth had to undergo surgery that led to a diagnosis of breast cancer. That led to a radical mastectomy followed by general radiation. Gary said that her whole chest was burned. The good news was that the cancer went into remission for the next five years.
To help keep her mind off her health problems, Ruben convinced Ruth to volunteer at Stanford. She helped host monthly lunches for the international students, giving them a sense of familial support. Bruce remembered her always being on the phone, acting as Mom to the students who were away from home. Ruth and Ruben also began playing cards more often. Carol remembered Ruth taking her to weekly bridge games after school. The Merrills started a card club that is still active 40 year later. Bruce now plays monthly with The Merrills’ sons.
Lucky Lager Brewing had been losing market share since the mid-1960s and the business continued to spiral down. In 1971, millionaire Paul Kalmanovitz bought the company. But he bought it to dismantle it. He was transitioning from a beer baron to a real estate mogul, and he saw the company assets through that lens. The Azusa plant was closed immediately and other assets were quickly sold off. The San Francisco plant would be closed in 1978.
In 1974, Ruth’s health issues recurred. The cancer had migrated to her ovaries, and she had to have a hysterectomy. Between the new owner’s approach and Ruth’s renewed cancer, Ruben decided to retire. Ruben was highly respected in the industry, and he received many job offers. He could have worked anywhere in the world, but he chose to stay where he was because of the excellent care Ruth was receiving at Stanford Medical Center. He did consulting work for Labatt’s in Canada and for another brewery in Australia. He even consulted for Laura Secord Chocolates, a subsidiary of John Labatt Ltd. He would later earn both his real estate license and his financial advisor’s license.
Unfortunately, the remission following the latest surgery only lasted about a year. Ruth had to have gland surgery, followed by brief remission, and then another return of the cancer. This time, it had migrated to her bones, and she had to go into chemotherapy again. There was a stigma attached to cancer back then, and the cancer scared many of Ruth’s friends away. Some of them could not handle watching her in pain, nor could they deal with the thought of her not being there. Ruth always approached her situation with humor and her ever-present smile.
In a letter he wrote to his children two weeks after Ruth passed (the only way he could communicate without breaking down), Ruben said,
Because of Ruthie’s love of all of us, she remained determined to try anything that would extend her physical presence with her family. However, remission from pain was of short duration following shoulder and neck X-ray therapy, and, when bone breakage and nerve damage started to occur through spinal deterioration, additional therapy did little to arrest the pain. In November, she became fully bedridden and required much medication and many shots to control the pain. I then felt the end was rapidly approaching, but we continued to maintain a now-weathered hope for another remission and for the time to fulfill more of our plans.
She really wanted to go Christmas shopping with Ruben and kept hoping she would feel well enough the next day. But the hope was in vain. When she finally acknowledged that she was not going to make it, it took all Ruben could muster to say “Hell no, honey. Everything is alright and the kids will be home soon.”
In those last months, Ruben took care of Ruth day in and day out, despite the toll it was taking on him. Again from Ruben’s letter,
I put off this decision (to hire a practical nurse) because I felt I knew Ruthie’s needs better than anyone else and that she would feel more at ease under my care than in the presence of strangers. I assumed the responsibility of taking care of Ruth, not as an obligation. Even under these harsh circumstances, I enjoyed being with her because it enabled me to continue expressing my love to her with every word, touch, and thought and it was a period in time she and I were unwilling to share with outsiders…
Up to this point, Ruthie was able to communicate with me and we were able to freely exchange our feelings of love for one another. Virginia told me that when communications by voice or facial expression fails, the individual can sometimes acknowledge you through slight finger movements. Ruthie and I frequently used Morse Code while holding hands. So on Christmas evening, I desperately tapped out “I love you” several times on her fingers before she finally gave me a slight acknowledgement in response. That was her last communication.
Ruth passed away on Christmas Night, 1978. She was only 53 years old. After a private ceremony, her ashes were scattered just outside the Golden Gate, south toward Baker’s Beach.
Ruben lived for 35 more years, but never a day went by when she was not on his mind. He had many friends and an active life, but he never remarried. He was loyal to her memory. Ruben passed away on December 22, 2012, in Menlo Park. His ashes were scattered near Bakers Beach where Ruth was waiting for him. Because her sister Alice’s ashes were scattered off of Marin, Bruce tends to think of the two towers of the Golden Gate Bridge at Alice and Ruth.
Ruth was a remarkable woman, like her mother. Everyone whose life she touched was better for it, whether it was family members, the high school friends of her children with whom she talked at her kitchen table, the Stanford international students who were missing home, her card-playing buddies, the students she guarded in the halls of Menlo-Atherton School during tough times, or the random people she found to talk to at the ski lodge. She brought happiness and love to all with her smile, and she brought a sense of reality with her wise counsel. Mark Rosen remembered her as incredibly warm and loving, but also “direct, hardcore, and gutteral” when necessary. She gave the unvarnished truth and “didn’t spare the adjectives.” Ruth was blessed to have found the love of her life early in her life, and she and Ruben had a love for the ages. They were an example of caring patience and true devotion to all around them. It was a full life, and the world is better for Ruth and Ruben having been in it.
In March of 1950, Ruben’s father Philip passed away. Shortly after returning from the funeral, Ruth discovered she was pregnant for the first time. Their son Gary was born in November. Early in 1951, Ruben and Ruth returned to Northern California, where Ruben became Technical Director of Plant Operations in San Francisco. They bought the house at 243 Louise Lane in San Mateo in anticipation of their growing family. Carol was born in 1952, Bruce in 1953, and Dee in 1956. The difficult part of this time was the loss of Ruth’s mother Juel and of her Aunt Gert.
Life on Louise Lane was very typical of 1950s America. The Schneiders were just one of several growing families in the neighborhood, and this cul-de-sac was perfect for playing outside all day. At the end of the block was an alley that led into the West Hillsdale Park. All the parents were all very social, and Ruth was in her element at the center of things. There was even a celebrity on the block when 49ers’ head coach Red Hickey moved his family in. Another family on the block was the Pottsmans. They had four children also, and Steve worked at the brewery with Ruben. They bought a car together to use for commuting to work.
Public schools on the Peninsula were excellent back then. The children went to Beresford Park Grammar School. The boys were in Cub Scouts, and the girls were in Rainbow Girls, which was a part of the Masons similar to the Esthers for Eastern Star. One of Ruben’s life-long passions was photography. He worked with both 16mm film and stills, but he was particularly proud of his stereographic slides that, like the old ViewMasters, show pictures in 3-D. There are many pictures and films of birthdays, Christmases, and Easter egg hunts from throughout his children’s early years. Bruce has maintained the collection and is converting the films to digital.
Summers were spent in South Lake Tahoe at Baldwin or Pope’s Beach. Ruben would drive the family up and drop them off for a month, commuting by plane during the week. He had an old Navy buddy who was a pit boss at Harrah’s, and they got into a lot of dinner shows. Ruth spent much of the time during the week under an umbrella while the kids were in the water and getting tanned. They would beg her to come out and get some sun. She would during the last few days and end up darker than everyone. Sometimes, the Schneiders were joined by the Rosens. Ruth and Marilyn were great friends, and Linda and Mark Rosen have very fond memories of their time together at Tahoe.
As the kids got older, winters involved ski trips. The Bonneville would be packed with six sets of skis and poles and off they would go. Ruth would ski a little on the bunny slopes, but, according to Bruce, “she preferred the chalet with a cup of coffee in one hand and a cigarette in the other, and she always found someone to talk to.” Ruth could and would talk to anyone about anything. It was not uncommon later for the kids to come home after school and find their friends in conversation with Ruth. It sometimes seemed like they had come over to visit her rather than them.
Ruben’s job took him and Ruth to Europe on a number of occasions. Brew masters were very well respected in Europe, and the two of them had the red carpet rolled out. They went to the symphony in London and were seated in the Queen’s Box (Elizabeth was not there that night). One story Ruth told Bruce was about a dinner with mucky-mucks where she was seated next to a dignitary from Scotland. When she told him that her children’s names, she got an earful of the history of Robert the Bruce, King of the Scots.
In 1956, Ruben became more involved in the Master Brewers Association of America (MBAA). The MBAA had been established in 1912 as a counterweight to the Brewery Workers’ Union, of which Ruth’s great uncles Jim and Michael Silk had been president. In 1933, the MBAA had been reestablished with the express purpose of increasing the scientific knowledge of brewing. It was a perfect fit for Ruben. The University of California, Davis, had reestablished a viticulture and enology program after Prohibition to reflect the development of the international wine business. In 1956, Ruben contacted UC Davis chairman Emil Mrak about establishing a parallel brewing program. Two years later, when Ruben became president of the MBAA, he got the MBAA Research Foundation grant awarded to UC Davis’ brewing program. He also got Lucky to donate equipment. The program took off and has turned into a major part of the University. It is celebrated every Fall with a week-long Oktoberfest. They now have a Pico computerized brewing machine with a plaque dedicating it to Ruben.
Despite his occupation, Ruben and Ruth were not big drinkers. A cocktail before dinner was standard for the time, and Gary remembered that there was always beer in the refrigerator and in the garage—even in the drunk of the car—but it was drunk for taste not for getting drunk. Gary remembered his mother saying that her uncle Meyer used to bring beer to the Fischers’ house when she was growing up and got mad when he found out she and Alice were using it as a hair rinse.
In 1961, Ruth’s father Charlie passed away. As always seems to happen, distribution of the estate caused some tension within the family. Ruth was caught in the middle between Hal and Alice over the disposition of the bowling alley in Stockton, as Charlie had been a partner with the Blooms. There were some ruffled feathers, but family is family, and they worked it out.
That same year, Ruben was promoted to Vice President of the San Francisco plant. In 1963, Ruben was transferred to the Lucky’s brewery in Salt Lake City. The Salt Lake plant had been opened in 1960 as a centralized place for distribution throughout the Rockies, but it had not proved viable. Ruben took over as Vice President and General Manager of the plant and was charged with the process of closing it down.
Gary remembered that they went from the cul-de-sac on Louise Lane where everyone knew each other to Loren Von Drive where they were surrounded by Mormons and did not know anyone. The first night, all the neighbors came over to meet the Schneiders and were very friendly—that is, until they found out what Ruben did for a living. Then things turned cool quickly. Ruth’s morning ritual of a cup of coffee and a cigarette probably did not help. But the children had no problems finding friends. Like Louise Lane, there were lots of other children to play with. Bruce remembered lots activity and SNOW! And it was hard not to like Ruth and her smile. She made a few good friends there as well.
Ruth and Ruben did not raise their children in any particular religious tradition. Bruce said that the Golden Rule was the main thing in their house: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Occasionally, some of the Mormons would approach Ruben and invite him to visit Temple or go to services with them. He would listen politely and offer to take them on a tour of the Brewery in return. The same ones would never come back. The lack of a religious tradition did cause a hiccup when Bruce applied for advancement to Eagle Scout. His application was denied because he checked the “no religion” box and religion was a major part of scouting. His scoutmaster Frank Merrill (and Ruben) went to bat for him with the committee, though, and he was allowed to advance with a project that involved investigating and attending the various religious traditions of his Boy Scout peers. Bruce did achieve Eagle Scout rank.
In 1965, Ruben was transferred back to California where he resumed his position of VP for plant operations in San Francisco. This was fortuitous because Gary was about to start high school and California had the best schools in the country at the time. Also, the family all missed California and the rest of the Fischers and Schneiders. They bought the house at 140 Heather Drive, in Atherton. Ruth and Ruben would live there for the rest of their lives.
Life back in California started up just where it left off. Ruben went back to the SF plant. Ruth reestablished old friendships and made new ones. She had belonged to the San Mateo Women’s Club when they lived on Louise Lane, but she avoided the high debutante clubs in Menlo Park. The kids all attended Menlo-Atherton High School, and Ruth became very involved with the parents’ club. She even served as a hall monitor. In 1967, there were actual race riots on campus over the attempt to keep African-Americans from East Palo Alto and East Menlo Park, who actually lived in the school district, from attending Menlo High by canceling bussing for students who lived within 2 miles. Ruth and Ruben, who were staunchly anti-racist, joined a group called United Menlo-Atherton, an interracial parent group formed by friends Frank and Jen Merrill. By 1969, the students had formed a student UMA on campus, and the Mayor honored the group by declaring October 16, 1969, to be “United Menlo-Atherton Day.”
Ruth was always calm and unflappable. Being a high school hall monitor during a period of racial tensions and violence was not something to be feared and avoided. No more so than teaching Gary to drive the station wagon over Highway 92, nor dealing with Carol cutting her leg open at school and needing 100 stitches. Ruth was probably terrified inside, but she made sure no one else saw it because she knew that her outward calm would help others. In 1968, Ruth had another big scare, though, when she found a lump.
At the time, imaging technology for cancer diagnosis was in its infancy and most diagnosis was done by exploratory surgery. Lumpectomies had not been developed yet either, so Ruth had to undergo surgery that led to a diagnosis of breast cancer. That led to a radical mastectomy followed by general radiation. Gary said that her whole chest was burned. The good news was that the cancer went into remission for the next five years.
To help keep her mind off her health problems, Ruben convinced Ruth to volunteer at Stanford. She helped host monthly lunches for the international students, giving them a sense of familial support. Bruce remembered her always being on the phone, acting as Mom to the students who were away from home. Ruth and Ruben also began playing cards more often. Carol remembered Ruth taking her to weekly bridge games after school. The Merrills started a card club that is still active 40 year later. Bruce now plays monthly with The Merrills’ sons.
Lucky Lager Brewing had been losing market share since the mid-1960s and the business continued to spiral down. In 1971, millionaire Paul Kalmanovitz bought the company. But he bought it to dismantle it. He was transitioning from a beer baron to a real estate mogul, and he saw the company assets through that lens. The Azusa plant was closed immediately and other assets were quickly sold off. The San Francisco plant would be closed in 1978.
In 1974, Ruth’s health issues recurred. The cancer had migrated to her ovaries, and she had to have a hysterectomy. Between the new owner’s approach and Ruth’s renewed cancer, Ruben decided to retire. Ruben was highly respected in the industry, and he received many job offers. He could have worked anywhere in the world, but he chose to stay where he was because of the excellent care Ruth was receiving at Stanford Medical Center. He did consulting work for Labatt’s in Canada and for another brewery in Australia. He even consulted for Laura Secord Chocolates, a subsidiary of John Labatt Ltd. He would later earn both his real estate license and his financial advisor’s license.
Unfortunately, the remission following the latest surgery only lasted about a year. Ruth had to have gland surgery, followed by brief remission, and then another return of the cancer. This time, it had migrated to her bones, and she had to go into chemotherapy again. There was a stigma attached to cancer back then, and the cancer scared many of Ruth’s friends away. Some of them could not handle watching her in pain, nor could they deal with the thought of her not being there. Ruth always approached her situation with humor and her ever-present smile.
In a letter he wrote to his children two weeks after Ruth passed (the only way he could communicate without breaking down), Ruben said,
Because of Ruthie’s love of all of us, she remained determined to try anything that would extend her physical presence with her family. However, remission from pain was of short duration following shoulder and neck X-ray therapy, and, when bone breakage and nerve damage started to occur through spinal deterioration, additional therapy did little to arrest the pain. In November, she became fully bedridden and required much medication and many shots to control the pain. I then felt the end was rapidly approaching, but we continued to maintain a now-weathered hope for another remission and for the time to fulfill more of our plans.
She really wanted to go Christmas shopping with Ruben and kept hoping she would feel well enough the next day. But the hope was in vain. When she finally acknowledged that she was not going to make it, it took all Ruben could muster to say “Hell no, honey. Everything is alright and the kids will be home soon.”
In those last months, Ruben took care of Ruth day in and day out, despite the toll it was taking on him. Again from Ruben’s letter,
I put off this decision (to hire a practical nurse) because I felt I knew Ruthie’s needs better than anyone else and that she would feel more at ease under my care than in the presence of strangers. I assumed the responsibility of taking care of Ruth, not as an obligation. Even under these harsh circumstances, I enjoyed being with her because it enabled me to continue expressing my love to her with every word, touch, and thought and it was a period in time she and I were unwilling to share with outsiders…
Up to this point, Ruthie was able to communicate with me and we were able to freely exchange our feelings of love for one another. Virginia told me that when communications by voice or facial expression fails, the individual can sometimes acknowledge you through slight finger movements. Ruthie and I frequently used Morse Code while holding hands. So on Christmas evening, I desperately tapped out “I love you” several times on her fingers before she finally gave me a slight acknowledgement in response. That was her last communication.
Ruth passed away on Christmas Night, 1978. She was only 53 years old. After a private ceremony, her ashes were scattered just outside the Golden Gate, south toward Baker’s Beach.
Ruben lived for 35 more years, but never a day went by when she was not on his mind. He had many friends and an active life, but he never remarried. He was loyal to her memory. Ruben passed away on December 22, 2012, in Menlo Park. His ashes were scattered near Bakers Beach where Ruth was waiting for him. Because her sister Alice’s ashes were scattered off of Marin, Bruce tends to think of the two towers of the Golden Gate Bridge at Alice and Ruth.
Ruth was a remarkable woman, like her mother. Everyone whose life she touched was better for it, whether it was family members, the high school friends of her children with whom she talked at her kitchen table, the Stanford international students who were missing home, her card-playing buddies, the students she guarded in the halls of Menlo-Atherton School during tough times, or the random people she found to talk to at the ski lodge. She brought happiness and love to all with her smile, and she brought a sense of reality with her wise counsel. Mark Rosen remembered her as incredibly warm and loving, but also “direct, hardcore, and gutteral” when necessary. She gave the unvarnished truth and “didn’t spare the adjectives.” Ruth was blessed to have found the love of her life early in her life, and she and Ruben had a love for the ages. They were an example of caring patience and true devotion to all around them. It was a full life, and the world is better for Ruth and Ruben having been in it.