Funeral service scheduled March 17 for Roger Schechinger

Funeral services for Roger E. Schechinger of Menifee will be held at the Riverside National Cemetery March 17 at 10:30 a.m.

Roger passed away suddenly on Feb. 26 at Loma Linda University Hospital in Murrieta at the age of 55 years. Roger had retired from the Marines after 20 years of service. A lunch following the service will be held at the American Legion Hall, 600 S. D St. in Perris.

Roger Elmer Schechinger was born July 17, 1964 in Westphalia, Iowa. He grew up in Westphalia and graduated from Harlan Community School in Harlan, Iowa. Roger married Ichiko Matsuda on Oct. 20, 1989 In Naha, Okinawa and they had one daughter, Tiana. He enjoyed spending his time with family and doing home improvements.

Roger joined the Marine Corps on April 29, 1985 and received an honorable discharge when he retired as a Master Sgt. on April 30, 2005 after 20 years of service. During this time, he served as a Marine Combat Engineer for 13 years in Okinawa; a Marine recruiter for three years in Omaha, Nebraska; and a Ground Safety Specialist for four years. Roger served time in the Marine Expeditionary Unit in Somalia and also with the Marine American Security Forces during the military coup in the Philippines.

Roger was the recipient of many prestigious military awards and honors. After retirement, Roger worked for several years with Garrison Company in Temecula as a safety specialist for Strategic Risk Management.

Roger was preceded in death by his father, Mike Schechinger, and mother-in-law Kazuko Matsuda. He is survived by Ichiko and daughter Tiana of Menifee; by his mother, Judy Patrick of Westphalia, Iowa; father-in-law, Kiyofumi Matsuda of Naha, Okinawa, Japan; Michael (Karen) Schechinger of Adel, Iowa; Robert (Carol) Schechinger of Treynor, Iowa; sisters Bonnie (Tony) Cairney of Westphalia, Iowa; Susan (Ron) Yockey of Westphalia, Iowa; and Sherie (Steve) Hollander of Glenwood, Iowa; sister-in-law Eriko (Hideki) Shimajiri of Tomishiro, Okinawa, Japan; brother-in-law Yasutaka (Yukiko) Matsuda of Naha, Okinawa, Japan; and uncles and aunts, other family members and many friends.

A GoFundMe has been established to raise funds for the family. You can access it here:

Fundraiser for Roger Schechinger family