Anton Schnitzer

Anton Merrill Schnitzer, 92, of Bartlesville died on Sunday October 12. He was born in Alva , Oklahoma to Alice and Toney Schnitzer. He had no siblings. Merrill attended grade school at the Northwestern Oklahoma State University teacher's training school and graduated from Alva High School in 1939. He worked briefly at Spartan Aircraft Company in Tulsa before graduating from Northwestern Oklahoma State University in 1943. He attended the Naval Reserve Officer's engineering school at the US Naval Academy and was commissioned as an Ensign in December 1943. He and Winona Marie Maddox of Aline, Oklahoma were married in January of 1944. They lived in State College, Pennsylvania while he attended the Naval Engineering class at Penn State University. Merrill was then sent to the Amphibious Training Base near Norfolk, Virginia for training in amphibious warfare and was assigned to the crew of the USS LST 681 as Engineer officer. They picked up their new ship in Ambridge, Pennsylvania and proceeded down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers to New Orleans, then through the Panama Canal to San Diego, and on to Pearl Harbor. After moving Army personnel and supplies in the South Pacific, they participated in the invasions of Luzon in the Philippines and Okinawa. After the end of World War II, Merrill and Winona attended Oklahoma State University where he received a Masters and a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry. He was a member of Phi Kappa Phi, Sigma Xi, and Phi Lambda Upsilon honor societies and the American Chemical Society. He was employed by Phillips Petroleum Company for his entire professional career of 33 years. He began as a research chemist in the Research and Development department, served in the Engineering department, and developed several patents for Phillips. In 1966, he was named Food, Drug and Toxicant Coordinator. In 1971, he taught a management course in human relations in Madrid, Spain. He retired from Phillips as the Director of Consumer Protection. Merrill was active in church and civic activities including Boy Scouts, Lions Club, Community Concerts, Friends of the Library, Churches United for Community Concern, Toastmasters, PTA, Mutual Girls Club, and various church offices. He also taught youth and church classes for many years. Merrill is survived by Winona, his wife of 70 years, by daughter Janine Novack of Tulsa, son Steven of Owasso, granddaughter Taylor Novack, and grandsons Landon and Trenton Schnitzer.

Service Details

Thursday, October 16th, 2014 10:00am, East Cross United Methodist Church

Interment Details

Alva Muncipal Cemetery