DEWEES WILSON COUNTY TEXAS
The Schneider store looks as it always has. Helen Schneider sold it in 1997 to Alene Pawelek, who has kept the spirit of this local gathering place, selling gas, a few groceries, coffee anytime, and beer in the afternoon and evening. It's a place to catch up on local gossip, and to arrange events, like a fund-raiser for the volunteer fire department.
The old gas pump with a clear glass cylinder on the top has been replaced with a modern pump. The cotton gin and weighing scale have been dismantled. A microwave has been added to the kitchen accoutrements, but the glass cabinet holding candy bars is still there just like when Helen owned the store. And little children can still hope for a special treat.
Helen and Alfred Schneider had no children of their own, so they "adopted" their nieces and nephews and all the children in the neighborhood. "Our Aunt Helen had beautiful red hair, a twinkle in her bright blue eyes, and a smile for everyone," N ell Lyssy said, in a eulogy delivered at Helen's funeral. She was Helen's great-niece.
The Schneiders ranched and operated the store and a cotton gin next to it in Dewees since the 1930s. Helen continued their Hereford ranching operation after Alfred died in 1967. She enjoyed hosting birthday parties, family reunions, and get-togethers for her family, friends, and customers.
She supported many youth activities and community projects. "If you asked, she gave," Nell said. "She cared for and supported farm hands as if they were her own family and asked nothing in return. That was just her nature."
When Helen's sister, Annie Orts, died as a young mother, Helen took over the job of raising her sister's five daughters.
Being an aunt instead of a mother, gave Helen a chance to spoil her nieces and nephews, but "not with expensive presents and money, but with love and attention," Nell said
Children knew that a trip to the store meant a scoop of ice cream or a treat from the candy counter. "We could run, play, explore the barns and the cotton gin and gather hens eggs," Nell said.
The nieces enjoyed visiting Aunt Helen and Uncle Alfred at their home. The Schneiders had one of the first color televisions in Poth. The children would sit on the floor in front of the television, and Aunt Helen would bring them ice-cold Seven-Up with a cherry in it. "And she would let us drive her huge, green Chrysler Imperial when we were about 12 years old," Nell said.
"You could get in trouble and not get fussed at," Nell said. She remembered the chickens, sheep, goats, and pigeons that Aunt Helen kept near the store. Dog and cats, too — "People would leave them there and Aunt Helen would just take care of them," Nell said.
Parishioners from Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Poth often came to Schneider's Store to drink beer after Mass on Saturday evening. Helen had a poodle named Duffy who would start barking if the people didn't leave in time for Helen to close the store. People still come after Mass on Saturday, but Duffy is long gone.
One day Helen decided she wanted to live in a log cabin, and so she had one built next to the store. That was her home until a terrible day in 1994 when robbers knocked on her door and forced her, at gun point, to open the store and give them the money in the cash register. After that, she was afraid to live there by herself, so she moved back to Poth and her niece, Maxine Albrecht, shared the house with her. In recent years, her great-niece, Ann Moore, moved back to Poth from San Antonio and cared for Aunt Helen.
Helen Schneider sold her historic Schneider's Store in Dewees in 1997, after running it for 65 years. Betty Ortmann helped care for Helen until her passing three years later on December 1, 2006 at the age of 95.
[ Ed Schneider built the building in 1929 and ran the restaurant named Schneider's until 1946 when Ed Zolkosky and his inlaws purchased it. Ed's wife, Marilyn, was a Reinhard and her father helped Ed with the down payment and helped run the place----then named Ed's. They paid $26,000 for in 1946 and sold it in 1962 for $26,000 to a fellow from "up north" ..
named it Pop's. The State took over the property to make the turn lane in 2000.]
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COURTESY / Wilson County News December 20, 2006 written by Fred Owens.