Clarence Walter Schoenvogel, Jr.

Walt was such a fine fine man. I am so thankful I had the chance to know him. My sincere condolences to his family.

Dear Mrs. Schoenvogel, Sally and Trey,
My heart goes out to you all as you suffer this terrible loss of your dad and husband. He was always such a friendly person and so clearly proud of his family. So many will miss him. May you feel the presence of your dad, the Holy Spirit and the prayers of all those who love you and loved him.
Sincerely,
Sarah

Shocking and sad news. Had the great pleasure of meeting Walt when out for dear Sally & Michael's wedding. A giant of a man and a gentleman. My sincerest sympathy to his entire family and to those that grieve his loss. May he Rest In Peace.

My lead investor was an angel even before he died.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “There can be no deep disappointment where there is not deep love.”

Today, I am incredibly saddened and disappointed to share that yesterday morning, my friend, adviser and Localeur’s lead investor Walt Schoenvogel passed away suddenly.

Maybe you’ve heard the saying, “God works in mysterious ways.” Or perhaps you too live by the axiom that “everything happens for a reason.” Powerful and often timely words, indeed, but I must be honest in saying there are moments like the present one when I just cannot quite see God’s plan or cannot see beyond this particular day or moment to get to the silver lining of justification.

Doubt can creep in as such moments, but most of all its utter disbelief that whether one believes or not, God’s power is so complete, so total, so eternal and so infinite yet somehow we spend a great many hours and days and years of our lives contemplating, consternating and, only occasionally, celebrating the most tremendous blessings we’ve been given: life and love.

We take such unquantifiable gifts for granted day after day after day. Even those seemingly living full lives on Instagram or with full bridal parties at our weddings or with full three-car garages and full bank accounts are often caught up in the temporary stresses of the lives we’ve been blessed to have that we often fail to see the forest for the trees instead preferring to complain about the rain or the drought and heat or the quality the soil or the lack of fruit yet bearing or in envy of the neighbor’s trees or fruit.

We get caught forgetting that life and love are the only experiences that truly count.

Walt is one of the very few people I have ever encountered whom seemed to fully grasp how precious it is to have life and love.

The son of a doctor who refused to deny patients in the 1950s and 60s due to the color of their skin at a time when such refusals were the industry norm in the South; the husband of a beautiful wife Charlyn for four decades whom he always referred to with the admiration of a boy first acquainted with love; and the father of a daughter whom remains one of the most intelligent and all-around impressive individuals I’ve had the privilege of working with and knowing, it’s clear to me that Walt had both a great respect both for his role in a lineage of people who honored time, hard work and principles and a great sense of duty to celebrate the joy in family, friendship, kinship and life’s true gifts.

Before March 2016, I had never met Walt but knew of him through his daughter Sally who I worked with nearly a dozen years ago in Washington, D.C. Walt sent me a message on Facebook asking if I was still seeking investors for Localeur, to which I replied I had been. After a brief phone call, Walt and I planned to meet briefly at Walton’s Fancy and Staple where he proceeded to convince me without a single word of persuasion that he would neither threaten my vision nor demand a board seat in becoming the lead individual investor in Localeur with a sizable investment. Six months later, he re-invested in my vision for Localeur, and through the past year has remained among my most steadfast, engaged and responsive investors and advisers.

A successful businessman in his own right across many industries, Walt is a man that I came to look up to as not just an investor but someone who had unlocked some secret doorway to a life worth living where its daily stresses never seemed to rise above his vocal chords or beyond the surface of his eyebrows and temples. The man simply seemed to live life as the gift it was, day after day. Often times, I’d see photos of his here on Facebook with his wife and children and grandchildren on vacation or of him enjoying a meal at a new restaurant or a glass of wine, and find the parallels to the lifestyle I am building for myself. Here was a man whom knew how to laugh and to live.

Altogether, I spent time with Walt on five occasions since last March, but it feels like we had years because every interaction was so full not only of words and exchanges of information, but of genuine interest and the kind of good vibes that people often project through social media but seldom experience in real life. My favorite time with Walt was when I introduced him to my fiance Susannah and he introduced me to his wife Charlyn while we were both on a trip to Paris, them celebrating another wedding anniversary and us celebrating our engagement. Despite the gap of many years, it was like we quickly became couple friends and shared stories of our lives and love over laughs that I’ll never forget.

Walt touched the lives of his family and friends in a way that may never be measured in ways words can capture. I’ve read Joan Didion’s “The Year of Magical Thinking” and Paul Kalanithi’s “When Breathe Becomes Air” and fully grasp the power of words, but no words of mine will ever suffice to relay to you all exactly how instrumental Walt has been not only on Localeur’s trajectory as a company and my trajectory as an entrepreneur, but on my journey as a man, a future husband, a future father and a friend.

We have a board meeting on August 1, and I was so looking forward to seeing Walt and Heather Brunner and Blake Chandlee and my attorney Evan Kastner to talk through all the ways in which Localeur can continue its steady march toward fulfilling both our mission and our potential as a business. Mostly, though, I was looking forward to feeling the kinship that this group has formed not because these people care deeply and solely about the financial outcome of Localeur, but because these people - none more than Walt - have invested in me as a person.

Life and love are gifts, and Walt was gracious enough to share his gift with me and with all of us both with sage advice and a ready smile. For that, I am eternally grateful. Rest in peace, my friend.

Dear Charlyn,

Cassandra and I were shocked and saddened to learn of Walt's death. Although we have not seen each other since our move to Sugar Land, we have always considered the two of you to be our friends. Walt was a good man. He excelled as a father and was a very astute businessman. He will be missed by all. Our prayers and thoughts are with you and your family at this difficult time.

Charlyn and family, I'm at a loss for words. My heartfelt sympathy to you all. Walt brought so much joy to everyone around him. He'll be missed by many. I will keep you in my prayers.

Charlyn, I'm so sorry to hear about Walt. He was a wonderful man and he will be missed. May God's grace comfort you during this difficult time.