Henry W. Schab, 98, of Annapolis

»Information from the John M. Taylor Funeral Home website.

Henry W. Schab died at home on June 13, one day shy of his 99th birthday. He was the son of the late Leon and Helen Wilusz Schab.

He was predeceased by his adoring wife of 68 years, Mary Lee O’Neill Schab.

He is survived by his six children: Patricia O’Brien of N Chelmsford, MA, William Schab, Jr. of Lewes, DE, Judith Rebecca Stauffer of Saratoga Springs, NY, Amy Clements of Annapolis, MD, Raymond Schab of Kailua, HI and James Schab of Burke, VA. He is also survived by 14 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren.

He was born in Trenton, NJ on June 14, 1916 (Flag Day). He was fascinated by aviation and built model planes which won numerous awards in competitions. His life-long love of sports started with soccer and his high school soccer team won the New Jersey State Championship in 1934. It continued with surfing while stationed in Hawaii. And his love for golf was legendary. In 2009 he was granted “Emeritus” standing at the Naval Academy golf course for being the oldest active player; he joined the club in 1945 and belonged until his death. He played his last round of golf with his three sons in 2013 at the age of 97.

He graduated from Central High School in 1935 and enlisted in the United States Army, serving tours in Fort Monmouth, NJ and Hawaii through 1939. After the U.S. Army he matriculated in the University of Iowa in mechanical engineering. At Iowa he earned his private pilot’s license from the CPTP program, sponsored by the U.S. government to establish a corps of future military pilots. He and his friends bought a Piper Cub and shared it on weekends, often flying friends home to their Iowa farms to get flying hours. He had great stories of flying low enough to read street signs to get his bearings.

When WWII broke out he joined the U.S. Navy flying program and got his wings at Corpus Christi in 1942. His flying career included a long tour in the Pacific where he conducted search and rescue missions on PBY’s and bombing sorties. He was again stationed in Hawaii and on off days loved to surf on his 10 foot board.

When he returned to the U.S. in 1944, his tour shortened by a tropical disease, he resumed training in San Diego. In 1945, while stationed at Alameda Naval Air Station he met a beautiful young secretary in the base pool, Mary Lee O’Neill of Annapolis. Their courtship was short and they married, honeymooned at Carmel by the Sea and then went on to San Diego, where Lt. jg Schab was stationed. They lived in “military housing” at the Del Coronado Hotel – with room service. In 1976 he retired from the Naval Reserve as Lieutenant Commander.

His return to civilian life restarted his college education at the University of Maryland, where he graduated in 1948 and was hired at the Naval Engineering Experimental Lab in Annapolis. His research projects at the lab included gas turbine studies, Fuels and Lubes, noise reduction and finally as project director in hydrofoil ship research. He received several commendations for his work in solving shipbuilding problems. His research efforts in developing glass reinforced plastic for shipboard piping systems earned him special recognition from the American Society of Naval Engineers. He co-authored a technical paper which was judged the best research paper published in the society’s 1977 journal.

He retired from the Lab in 1985 and started a new career as a Colonial Guide for Three Centuries Tours in Annapolis. He continued to lead tours wearing Colonial garb sewn by his wife until he was 91. He served as an election judge at the polls for decades with his last election being the Presidential election in 2008 at age 92.

He had many hobbies from numismatics to collecting coin silver spoons, political buttons, and golf pencils. He designed medals for the American Numismatic Association, the City of Annapolis and St. Mary’s Catholic Church. He was awarded honors by the ANA for his original research on the life of John Chalmers, our colonial silversmith in Annapolis who produced silver coins during the Colonial era. He spoke regularly on coin collecting and on Chalmers to groups around the state.

He was a founding member of the Colonial Coin Club in Annapolis and served twice as its president. At the time of his passing he was the secretary for the club.

He was a member of the Ranger Rosary group at St. Mary’s Church which makes special rosaries for troops throughout the world. At St. Mary’s he served as head of the Athletic Department while his sons were involved in sports, prepared couples for marriage, conducted Marriage Encounter weekends, and was a mentor for young and old alike.

Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, June 16, at John M. Taylor Funeral Home, 147 Duke of Gloucester St. in Annapolis. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, June 17, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, 109 Duke Of Gloucester St. in Annapolis.

Interment will be at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, June 17, at St. Mary’s Cemetery on West Street in Annapolis.