John Edward Schuller
John E. Schuller
John Edward Schuller, 83, beloved husband of Agnes J. Schuller (nà e Romanelli), died peacefully at his home in Laurel on May 14.
Born April 8, 1927, in Brooklyn, to John Anthony and Frances Langen Schuller, he graduated early from Andrew Jackson High School in order to join the U.S. Navy in 1945. During World War II, he was a member of the Seabees, serving as coxswain in several Construction Battalion Units in the Pacific. After being honorably discharged from the Navy, he went to work as a butcher, a trade he learned from his older brother. He retired in 1995, after working 28 years for the A&P in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, and 12 years for Pathmark in Nassau County.
Having raised their four daughters in North Massapequa, John and Agnes retired to their longtime summer home in Laurel in 1996. Every year they looked forward to spending the winter months in Hollywood, Fla., where they relished the warmer climate. John enjoyed strolling on the boardwalk, patronizing local restaurants and spending evenings playing cards with friends. A lifelong sports fan, John unfailingly followed the New York Mets, attending their earliest games at the old Polo Grounds, and later at Shea Stadium, and occasionally visiting the team during spring training in Port St. Lucie, Fla. At home in Laurel, during the summer months John could often be found sitting out on the front porch reading the newspaper while listening to a ballgame on the radio. Through the years, John and Agnes often entertained family and friends on their deck overlooking the beach on Peconic Bay, where he reigned as official “Grillmaster.”
John was predeceased by first wife, Frances Louise Schuller, his parents and stepmother, Emily Schuller, and siblings Fred Erbe, Mildred Hargrave, Florence Bardin and Edith Burghardt and their spouses. He is survived by daughter Debra Schuller of Corinna, Maine; daughter Donna and son-in-law Don Civitella of Mercer, Maine; daughter Amy and son-in-law Richard Krupka of Plano, Texas; and daughter Lisa and son-in-law Dr. James Hinsch of Laurel. John was the proud grandfather of five grandchildren: John, Emily, and Joseph Krupka of Plano, Texas, and Zachary and Benjamin Hinsch of Laurel. He will also be lovingly remembered by numerous nieces and nephews.
The family received visitors on Monday, May 17, at Coster-Heppner Funeral Home in Cutchogue. A service was held at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, Greenport, on Tuesday, May 18. Interment was at Long Island National Cemetery at Pinelawn in Farmingdale.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be sent to the Ministry of Care Fund at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, P.O. Box 242, Greenport, NY 11944 or East End Hospice, 481 Westhampton-Riverhead Rd., P.O. Box 1048, Westhampton Beach, NY 11978.
