Tributes to Helston College IT worker Luke Schneider

Luke Schneider was born in Penzance but raised in Porthleven with his brother Ian by mum Nesta, together with her second husband Dave Birch. Luke remained close with his father Max and saw him on a regular basis.

In July he became engaged to fiancée Hannah. 

When Luke was younger, he attended Porthleven School and then moved to Helston Community College, where he would later go on to work.

Luke was passionate about IT and began working at the college in the IT department 18 years ago - initially as a technician before working his way up to become the college’s deputy network manager.

Since 2020 he had been working as the trust-wide network manager for Southerly Point Co-Operative Multi-Academy Trust, which Helston College was a part of until recently. It was his job to design and implement networks and infrastructure upgrades for the 19 schools across the trust.

Luke was passionate about IT (Image: Family picture)

Luke also started a small IT company to provide business services - creating software for local businesses, and providing support with compliance, accessibility and web applications.

Luke’s mum Nesta told the Packet: “Luke was exceptionally clever with computers.

“He could build a computer from scratch; he was very clever."

Outside of work, Luke was a keen gamer and enjoyed playing Dungeons and Dragons.

He was also a skilled craftsman, enjoying building sheds and other outbuildings, as well as fixing cars – and was particularly proud of a Mazda RX7 he had been rebuilding.

Always keen to discover more about the world around him, Luke loved science experiments and built his own furnace to smelt tin cans. With an interest in history, he would happily spend time exploring mine works.

Luke was a keen gamer and played Dungeons and Dragons (Image: Family picture)

Recently, Luke had built a YouTube studio to film technical tutorials to help others.

In a tribute to Luke, Nesta and Dave said: “Luke was a brilliant son. He was so kind, he always looked after us.”

“He would take me to hospital appointments and we could rely on him - he was good as gold."

Tim Wolstencroft, a close friend since secondary school, has also paid tribute.

He told the Packet: "It is such a sad thing to happen. He was kind, courteous and a computer whizz. His life revolved around computers from a young age and that continued throughout his life.

"He always had the same enthusiasm for anything IT, whether it be gaming on a computer for leisure or building network systems for schools in the MAT he worked in. It was always entertaining to see what old retro computer he managed to revive.

"Not many people know that he was also a dab hand at fixing cars."

Luke dancing the Midday Dance on Flora Day with his mum Nesta (Image: Family picture)

Many of Luke's friends and colleagues have paid tribute since his death. 

Head of Helston Community College Alex Lingard, who took over from Wayne Jenkins in September, said in a statement on the college’s website that Luke’s death had come as a shock to everyone who knew him.

He added: “Our thoughts are with his family and friends during this difficult time. He was an excellent colleague and will be missed by many."

A funeral for Luke will take place at Treswithian Downs Crematorium in Camborne on January 30, at 11am.

Luke’s family has asked for donations to Cat’s Protection in lieu of flowers, due to his love of animals – in particular cats.

To leave a tribute for Luke, or make a donation, visit https://www.pendlefunerals.org.uk/tributes-donations/funeral-details?tribute=lukeschneider