Horst van Schellenbeck

Horst van Schellenbeck passed away peacefully at his Pisgah Forest home on Feb 21, 2026. He was 81 years old.

Horst was born April 1, 1944 in Wetzlar Germany. He was the youngest of 3 boys. From a young age Horst was described by his brothers as the ‘sunny boy’ and spent his adolescence playing tennis, riding horses, hiking and camping. He always had a mischievous smile and a curious zest for life. Horst attended high school at Kestnerschule and college at Goethe - Gymnasium , both located in Wetzlar, Germany.

As a teenager Horst was quite the creative risk taker. The three brothers had a very strict upbringing and were not allowed out of the house past 7pm. This didn't stop Horst, as he was sneaking out all the time to meet his best friend Jo to drink beer at the local pub. To circumvent the strict curfew, Horst and his brothers decided to create a secret ‘party room’ in the lower level of their childhood home. Now the brothers and their friends could safely gather and play drinking games until all hours of the night without breaking curfew. Safety was the farthest thing from Horst’s mind.. He also enjoyed racing cars with friends through the winding streets of neighboring towns. Having this impetuous urge for fun granted Horst with more than a handful of concussions before his 20th birthday, something he loved to bring up as a fun fact about himself.

As a young man Horst went to work for Ernst Leitz Co. in Wetzlar. He started out as an industrial clerk running different tasks as well as fabricating lenses for cameras and microscopes. After some time working locally in his hometown, Leitz sent him to live and work in Cologne, followed by London. In 1970 Leitz gave Horst the option of either going to Japan or the US for one year. He chose the US and landed in New Jersey for what became the beginning of the rest of his life in the United States. While in New Jersey, Horst met and married his first wife, Anne Ferraro van Schellenbeck. Together they had a daughter, Monika van Schellenbeck. Leitz moved Horst and family to Illinois for several years. A new and different business opportunity led him to California for one year and then eventually settling with family in Georgia to start his own company in 1979.

Horst started his very successful business in the basement of the family’s Atlanta home. Employing his knowledge and expertise from years of working for Leitz, Horst built his company Southern Micro Instruments from the ground up. After years of dedication and perseverance the business eventually outgrew the home office and relocated several times to accommodate its continued growth. Southern Micro Instruments became one of the leading distributors of optical and scientific equipment in the United States.

In 1989 Horst met and married his second wife, Renae Dearmon van Schellenbeck. Not too long after this union, Horst became an American citizen, a day that was one of his most proud. After some time together in Atlanta the couple set their sights on the mountains and moved to Brevard, NC in 2000. Being the outgoing and fun-loving character that he is, Horst instantly found friends and community at the local pubs and restaurants like Dugan’s, Falls Landing, Hobnob and others. The move to Brevard eventually became a segway for Horst to dive into a new career, working as a real estate broker for Fisher Realty.

Aside from his love and enthusiasm for fast and beautiful cars, Horst also really loved the simpler things in life. He loved to cook a good meal and to host and entertain friends. He loved a quiet evening at home sitting by a crackling fire with his wife Renae, a scotch and a cigar, and his loyal dog by his side. He had an appreciation for classical and opera music and enjoyed watching golf and tennis on television. Trading books and discussing them over beer with his best friend Bobby Michael became a weekly ritual that he always looked forward to. Horst was an avid reader, noting Ayn Rand’s ‘Atlas Shrugged’ as one of his favorites.

Most distinctively about Horst was his kind and generous demeanor. He is remembered as the good friend that would always have your back, the confidante you could open up to about anything, especially over an ice cold beer. To know Horst was to love Horst. His joyous laugh, twinkling blue eyes and positive spin on life .. he always saw the silver lining and the glass as half full. One of his favorite phrases he would say was “Life is good” , and he truly meant it.

Horst is survived by his wife Renae Dearmon van Schellenbeck, his daughter Monika van Schellenbeck, brothers Helmuth van Schellenbeck (Inge) and Kurt van Schellenbeck (Carmen), nieces Anja Stuart (Alex) and Vera van Schellenbeck (Johnny) , brother-in-law Jerry Dearmon (Bobbie), many extended family and close friends, cats Dante and Sissy and beloved golden retriever, Edgar. He was preceded in death by mother Charlotte von Meien, father Eugen Carl Gustav van Schellenbeck, nephew Michael van Schellenbeck and sister Doris McCready.