Austin Davis Schoeder, age 36 of Los Angeles, CA; passed away at his home on Tuesday, June 29, 2021 at his home in Los Angeles.

Mass of Christian Burial for Austin will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, July 23, 2021 at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Hettinger, ND.

The family of Austin Schoeder is deeply saddened by his accidental death on June 29th, 2021, in Venice, CA, at the age of 36. Austin was born in Minneapolis, MN, and grew up in Chicago, IL, before moving to California in 2012. Austin was studying business at Santa Monica College and aspired to a career in music production.  His exceptional talent, easy-going, kind and gentle personality will be sorely missed.

Austin's early years were met with high expectations.  At nine, Austin learned tap dance under Robert Harrison, a veteran of the vaudeville circuit of the 1920's (RKO Pictures / USO / Hollywood).  At ten, Austin joined the Chicago Children's Choir, performing the Carmina Burana with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.  On tour in 1998, the choir performed at Yosemite Park and placed second in the International Choral Kathaumixw in British Columbia, Canada.  He started a jazz ensemble at the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools, performing for his eighth-grade graduation.  In high school, he played jazz saxophone with the Merit School of Music Honor Jazz Band, performing at many venues, including the House of Blues and Taste of Chicago.

Austin loved a variety of music types, including classical, Spanish guitar, jazz standards of the 1940's.  At 15, Austin began piano under Edward Mondello (organist at the Rockefeller Chapel at the University of Chicago).  Together with Eddy, each on a grand piano, they would do half-hour long jazz improvisations.  Austin dove straight into difficult scores by Beethoven and Ernesto Halffter (both found on his keyboard in his apartment in Venice).

Austin also loved computer programming and gaming; and built his first pc (from parts) at 8 years old.  He wrote a pong game in C++ when he was 10.  In 1998, he participated in a Russian Academy of Science Children's Computer Camp in Pereslavl-Zalessky, Russia with his mentor, Justin Langseth.  Austin devoted time to creating a massive Quake game level, while exploring a math and computer science major.

Austin also spent considerable time in North Dakota with his grandparents, where he loved helping on the family farms.  He drove truck on the Brueni farm during wheat harvest, and with a Kubota M59, removed 2 miles of shelter belt tree rows (some of which were 50' tall), in preparation for replanting, on the Schoeder Farm.

Austin loved biking, hiking in the mountains, and cooking.  He worked at multiple restaurants in the Los Angeles area, and was a passionate home cook.  In 2019 and 2020, he joined a forest-fire fighting crew, serving as assistant to the captain; that crew fought the Getty Museum Fire, as well as the Reagan Museum Fire.

Yet he saw himself as less than others; and struggled with anxiety and depression.  Beloved in the recovery community in Los Angeles, Austin was known for his shyness and his generosity.  His loss is felt deeply and is a reminder that an opiate relapse can happen unexpectedly even after many years.  It is believed he died of fentanyl poisoning.

Austin is survived by his parents, Bonnie Brueni and Francis Schoeder, his sister, Catherine (Schoeder) Leopando, several aunts and uncles, Lee Brueni, David Brueni, LaDonna (Brueni) Higgins, Gary Brueni, Dennis Brueni, David Schoeder, Thomas Schoeder, Sarah Schoeder, Lisa Schoeder, and Rosemary Schoeder, three nieces and nephews, Julia, Henry, and Benjamin, and several cousins.  Austin is preceded in death by his grandparents, Dale Schoeder, Kaye (Shults) Schoeder, John Brueni and Eva (Jakubowsky) Brueni, an aunt, Teresa (Schoeder) Sheaffer, and his cousins, Attessa Brueni and Quinn Cameron.