Robert Schindler, Sr., the father of Terri Schiavo, passed away a week and a half ago in Florida at the age of 71. Mr. Schindler was a reserved and quiet man, tested beyond what most human beings could even imagine, but will be remembered as a soft-spoken hero who fought for the sanctity of life at all stages, honorably and steadfastly.

Schindler’s son Bobby issued this statement upon the death of his father: 

My dad was a man of integrity, character and compassion who was blessed with a close and loving family. he taught all three of his children to respect and value life and to love our fellow man.

Even at the height of the battle to save my sister Terri’s life, when his patience and temperance was near exhaustion, he managed to display a gentleness of spirit. Yet it was his unfathomable strength that allowed him to shoulder up his own heartache and lead us through our darkest hour. What greater legacy could a man leave behind?

Rev. Thomas J. Euteneuer president of Human Life International, wrote a memorable tribute to Mr. Schindler wherein Euteneuer contrasted the funerals of Schindler and the late Senator Edward Kennedy.

Mr. Schindler is being buried in Philadelphia today without the fanfare or accolades that are due a real champion who fought one of the most insidious evils of modern society -- the legalized murder of the innocent. His funeral will not be televised on all the cable news networks, no cardinals will attend it, and the President of the United States will not deliver the eulogy -- thank God. Mr. Schindler, however, is promised a better send-off than that. God Himself will speak to him words spoken to all the suffering righteous: “Well done, good and faithful servent. Enter into the joy of your Master.”

Describing Schindler as a real hero and a humble and virtuous man who endured the ravages of activist lawyers for euthanasia and the agony of court-ordered starvations of his daughter accompanied by the gloating triumph of a son-in-law, Euteneuer compared Schindler’s sufferings to those of the abandoned Christ in His last agony.

And yet, Schindler did not flinch from the onslaught of opposition and slander that was heaped upon him and his family. He did not run from the scene, as did “Kennedy at Chappaquiddick; he stood his ground and faced the battle.”

“Bob Schindler certainly paid a martyr’s price for his fidelity to the enduring values of faith and family,” commented Euteneuer. “But we know that his spirit lives on in all those who patiently suffer injustice and in those who fight for life against the lions who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls.”

In paradisum deducant te Angeli — May the Angels lead thee into paradise, Mr. Schindler.

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danwhitehead1 said:

	This brave man - - - - - - should have a huge monument built to honor his name.
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September 10, 2009
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Lee Gonzales said:

	Means are as important as ends and to post such a statement is letting emotion rule instead of thinking through what "any means" implies.
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September 10, 2009
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Lal Wynstrom said:

I remember... ...the Terri Schiavo case. It was a heart-wrenching spectacle to watch this woman starved and treated mercilessly like a dog. In fact, some would treat their animals better. I hope, and believe, that Mr. Schindler is reunited with his beloved daughter in the place that knows no time and no pain. As we go forward to fight this Machiavellian, eugenics-imperative takeover of our healthcare system, let's remember these two people who should be uplifted as standards for the cause of respect for human life at all stages.

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September 11, 2009
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