Former county commissioner Cyril Schank dies at age 76

Former Churchill County Commissioner Cyril Schank died in his sleep Thursday, leaving behind a legacy of passion for agriculture in the Lahontan Valley.

Schank was born Dec. 7, 1930, in Fallon to L.C. and Verona Schank, the second of four children.

Local rancher Don Travis recalled that Cyril and his future wife, Delva, began dating in high school. A classmate told Cyril maybe he and Delva should split up for a while, just to see who else was out there. They were only separated for one week. They married in 1949 and were together 57 years.

Ernie Schank, Cyril's eldest son and president of the Truckee-Carson Irrigation District Board of Directors, said Cyril was the only child in his family who didn't continue on to college following high school.

"When he graduated he stayed home and farmed. All his brothers and sister have at least a four-year degree, and (his brother) Stan was a professor," Ernie said.

"He always said his education was from the school of hard knocks. He just had a lot of common sense."

Ernie said his father earned the rank of "American Farmer" through the FFA program, the highest level achievable in the program. He said his father was a member of the Churchill County Farm Bureau Board, the State Farm Bureau Board and on the board of directors for the Nevada Dairymen Association. He served as a county commissioner from 1986 to 1994.

Following his eight-year stint as a commissioner, Cyril and Delva served a two-year mission to Korea for their church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Ernie said his dad was always working.

"He worked every day," Ernie said. "He worked up until the day before he died. It was a shock to us all. And it was the same way my grandfather died."

Ernie said he was thankful his dad passed away peacefully and didn't have to suffer through a lingering illness.

Local residents were saddened to hear of the sudden death of Schank but were quick to offer praise about his character.

"He was one of the most upbeat people," said Travis. "Even when things were tough, he always had good things to say."

Travis said Schank visited him regularly in a Reno hospital after Travis suffered a stroke.

"If he ever said anything, you could take it to the bank. It was the honest truth," Travis said.

Former County Manager B.J. Selinder also remembered Schank fondly and shared a humorous story about him and former commissioners Jim Carter and Jim Regan.

Selinder said the three former commissioners once performed a skit for the Nevada Association of Counties dressed up as the Andrews Sisters. The commissioners wore goofy military hats and wigs, and "were three of the ugliest women I've ever seen," Selinder said. He also recalled a time when the commissioners dressed up as the California Raisins at a county dinner.

"He was never afraid to poke fun at himself," Selinder said of Schank. "He was a dear man; he truly cared for the community."

Ernie said one of his father's lasting legacies was his love for his farm and agriculture. He said his father put up the first concrete-lined irrigation ditches in the valley.

But Ernie said his father's greatest accomplishment was his family and six children - Ernie, Noreen, Craig, Eileen, Donald and Mark.

"We've been in partnership for 56 years," Ernie said. "Dad always had a mind of his own, and I had a mind of my own. We never said a harsh word to each other. If there was a difference, we always ironed it out."

Schank's funeral will be held Friday, under the arrangement of Smith Family Funeral Home in Fallon.