Fr. Eugene Schnipke, C.PP.S., died of natural causes at Mercer County Community Hospital, Coldwater, Ohio, on Thursday, March 17, 2022. He was transported there from St. Charles Center, Carthagena, Ohio, where he was recovering from a recent surgery. He was 68.
 
He was born on September 10, 1953, in Lima, Ohio to Othmar and Dolores (Verhoff) Schnipke. Raised in Glandorf, Ohio, he entered the Missionaries of the Precious Blood in 1967 at Brunnerdale, the Congregation’s former high school seminary near Canton, Ohio. He was ordained on June 21, 1980.  
 
After his ordination, Fr. Schnipke was assigned to St. Anthony in Falls Church, Va., as associate pastor. He was commissioned as a U.S. Air Force chaplain in 1984 and served for nearly 22 years. 
 
Fr. Schnipke attained the rank of lieutenant colonel and received several major awards and decorations during his years of service.
 
He retired from the Air Force in 2007. In 2008, he was appointed pastor of the Marion Catholic Community, a cluster of five parishes in or near Maria Stein, Ohio, where he served for 12 years and was a constant presence at community gatherings and local sporting events. In 2020, he was appointed pastor of the Catholic Communities of Northwest Dayton (Precious Blood, St. Paul and St. Rita Parishes), where he served until his untimely death.
 
Fr. Schnipke was the oldest of nine siblings. He is survived by his mother; five sisters, Marilyn (Bruce) Bohrer-Dunham; Ruth (Don) Blankemeyer; Janice (Dan) VonderEmbse, Mary Kay (Doug) Durliat, and Chris (Nick) Lehman, all of Ottawa, Ohio; and three brothers, Ron (Denise), Glandorf; Fr. Ken Schnipke, C.PP.S., Celina, Ohio; and Larry (Kathy), Ottawa; numerous nieces and nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews.
 
A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Tuesday March 23rd at St. Charles Center. Fr. Jeffrey Kirch, C.PP.S., provincial director, presided. Fr. Ken Schnipke was the homilist.  Burial followed in the Community cemetery.