On March 14, friends, family and community members lost their Superman to kidney failure brought on by cancer, although friends and family said he remains with them in spirit.

“He was almost too perfect — as if he was an angel or something,” genomics and molecular genetics sophomore Patrick Kato said of his best friend, whom he called a brother. “If I can be half the man this guy was, I will be the most successful guy in the world.”

Kato said Schneider’s drive and determination has inspired him to pursue their mutual dream of being a doctor even further — not just to avoid losing more incredible people, but because his friend would have wanted him to finish what he started.

“I wish I could say something bad, if I had to, just to sound more truthful, but this guy is someone I will never get over losing,” Kato said.

After his death, Chas Schneider’s sister, Tara Schneider, received a flood of Facebook messages from strangers telling how Chas’ battle inspired and shaped their lives. The rock on Farm Lane was painted last week in his memory, emblazoned with a Superman symbol with a “C” for Chas in the center.

“That’s the only thing that keeps me going right now,” Tara Schneider said. “He never wanted people to look at his death as a loss or as a bad thing.”

Family friend and Oakland Community College student Alexa Kas-Marogi said the typically soft-spoken, though sarcastic, Chas Schneider had a fierceness when it came to this topic and once wrote on Twitter, “If anyone feels bad for me, I’m going to kick your ass.”

A celebration of Chas Schneider’s life is scheduled for April 13 — coincidentally his favorite Bible verse was Philippians 4:13 — with a memorial service at 11 a.m. at Cornerstone Evangelical Presbyterian Church, 9455 Hilton Road, in Brighton, Mich. A reception will be held after the service at Detroit Catholic Central High School, 27225 Wixom Road, in Novi, Mich.

Tara Schneider said among a slide show and the reading of his favorite Bible verses at the celebration, she will be singing “For Good,” one of his favorite songs from the musical, “Wicked.”

The two shared a passion for music, and would spend hours in her bedroom poring over the Internet trying to find acoustic songs she could play on guitar. His latest choice was “Hell & Back” by Kid Ink, who sings, “See me standing here head high/ Face up, I don’t need no X-ray/ Show you what I’m made of.”

Friends’ memories of Chas Schneider paint him in a different light than some of the lyrics. He made plans to return to MSU after beating his cancer to become a gastrointestinal doctor and help those fighting diseases similar to Crohn’s.

Kas-Marogi and Tara and Chas Schneider also created a bucket list of things to do once (there was no “if” about it for them) Chas beat his colon cancer. His friend and sister still plan to complete the bucket list, which included things as simple as getting smoothies that were forbidden to Schneider while he was on chemotherapy.

Family and friends said Chas Schneider, who was an avid wrestler in high school and workout enthusiast, would rather suffer with cancer than see anyone else go through that pain.

“He called this his calling,” Kas-Marogi said. “He really thought he was meant to have the cancer … God was going to perform the miracle through him to allow everyone else to learn his story.”