Murdered New River pastor’s family and friends continue his passion projects

NEW RIVER, AZ (AZFamily) — The family and friends of the Arizona pastor murdered are waiting for the confessed killer to face justice. William “Pastor Bill” Schonemann was found crucified in his New River home in April.

Schonemann owned a car shop in south Phoenix for decades before becoming a pastor later in life.

“He didn’t preach sermons. It was always a mentorship, and that’s the same way that he raised me,” Randy Schonemann, William Schonemann’s son, said.

While serving as the pastor at New River Bible Chapel, William Schonemann continued using his mechanical skills on a variety of projects, including restoring vintage planes.

He completed one of his greatest achievements with Randy Schonemann for the Museum of Mountain Flying in Missoula, Montana. They were part of a team that restored a World War II-era Douglas DC-3, nicknamed the “Miss Montana,” in time for it to fly to France for the 75th anniversary of D-Day in 2019.

Randy last spent time with his father in Texas, restoring another bomber for the museum. They were making plans to continue that work and fly the “Miss Montana” again this spring, when Randy got the call from detectives in Maricopa County.

‘I want to understand’

Weeks later, he says he didn’t hesitate to watch the confessed killer’s jailhouse interviews, where he detailed his religious hit list.

“I want to understand as much as I can. I think we’ll never understand completely why, but I do want to try to understand,” Randy said. “I don’t know that somebody’s faith is any worse than somebody’s color. As far as being making them a target, they’re both … horrible reasons to go after somebody.”

At the same time, he’s concerned that his father’s killer is getting too much notoriety and could inspire copycats.

“If you look at all the interviews he’s done, he seems to be enjoying it. We were shocked to learn that inmates have access to iPads. That was something that was pretty surprising, and it gives us some concerns on how he might be influencing other crazy people,” Randy Schonemann said.

If the case goes to a jury trial, Randy Schonemann says he’ll attend daily.

“As far as whether we want the death penalty, I’m still mixed on that. Generally speaking, I am in favor of the death penalty for cases. In this case, do we want to deal with all those appeals, or just go for life in prison and then we don’t have to worry about it? I don’t know the answer, and I’m glad that would be in the jury’s hands,” he said.

Continuing a legacy

For now, Randy is trying to focus on the good his father did in his 76 years, including serving in the Navy, rather than dwell on the horrific way he lost his life. Pastor Bill’s friends are doing the same.

“When I first heard about his demise, I just thought, ‘Why did that have to happen?’ Such a great person, a great human being,” said Bryan Douglass, who worked with Bill on projects including the “Miss Montana” restoration.

He remembers Bill doting on his wife after she fell ill, retrofitting chairs and a camper for her and putting work aside whenever she needed his help.

“He’d just drop whatever he was doing. He just served her and set the example of a devoted husband,” Douglass said.

“You can’t help but think, ‘What would Bill say?’ He wouldn’t want revenge. He wouldn’t want vengeance. He wouldn’t want hate. I can guarantee you, he’s glad it was him and not someone else without question,” Douglass said.

Bill’s friends at the Museum of Mountain Flying say his legacy is secured there as long as their planes are flying.

“Bill was much more than a beloved pastor. He was a skilled mechanic. He took pride in fixing cars and airplanes and also modifying them, changing them for a greater purpose,” said Kaye Ebelt.

She remembers Bill and Randy working in a uniquely quiet way as they restored planes.

“They would work on engines without talking. They just had this, this silent communication with each other, and they just knew how to fix it,” she said. Randy says the group’s work will continue with his father’s mentorship in mind.

“You can’t let the anger eat you up. All it does is take away the joy that we have, like flying the plane today. It’s something my dad would have absolutely loved to be part of. So we can either be full of sorrow and sadness, or we can embrace doing these things, which is what he would want us to do,” he said.

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