Owen John Schumacher

BURLINGTON – Owen John Schumacher passed away peacefully on Nov. 5, 2024, at the AuthoraCare Collective Hospice Home in Burlington, N.C., after months of declining health. He was 93.

Owen was born on June 23, 1931, in Berea, Kentucky, a place that was near and dear to his heart. It was there he spent many winters playing in the snow with friends and siblings and where he met his lifelong sweetheart, Reva Jo Fowler, with whom he had three sons – Garth, David and Peter. Reva was his partner and support throughout his life until her death in December 2022.

Owen attended Oberlin College in Ohio for a couple of years after high school before joining the U.S. Air Force, where he became a navigator instructor during the Korean War era. After being honorably discharged, he earned a degree in electrical engineering from the University of Kentucky. After a short time with Schlumberger in Kansas, he joined Bell Laboratories and earned his master’s degree in electrical engineering from N.C. State University. He stayed with AT&T Bell Labs and later moved to Southern Bell in Atlanta, Ga., where he retired after 30 years of employment.

His leadership and passion extended to his church community in Winston-Salem, N.C., Atlanta, Ga., and Elon, N.C, where he sang in the choir and was known for his booming baritone voice. A loving family man, Owen’s warmth and laughter were contagious. While the boys were growing up he was always actively involved in their sporting events, and when they reached driving age, he kept them mobile without breaking the bank by getting them Volkswagens. From the 1970s through the early 1980s, Owen could be found turning wrenches in the basement, car parts littering his shop, carport, backyard and even the kitchen, much to Reva’s dismay. Patient to a fault, he enjoyed teaching the boys auto mechanics and talking about cars whenever the opportunity presented itself.

To his grandchildren he was always Papa O, a constant figure in their lives who enjoyed giving them impromptu piano lessons and breaking into song in the middle of a conversation. Though he stopped playing the piano and singing in his later years, Owen appreciated listening to Dave Brubeck, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra and big band as well as classical music by Chopin, Mozart and Rachmaninoff, something he likely inherited from his mother, Sarah Elizabeth Weida, an accomplished pianist and teacher herself. His father, Albert Christian Schumacher, was a Mennonite pastor and editor/superintendent of the college press, which produced Berea College’s newspaper, where Owen worked as a young man.

In retirement, Owen could often be found reading a book, particularly historical nonfiction and murder mysteries, or sitting with Reva watching British period dramas, how-to shows and documentaries. He enjoyed woodworking by turning beautiful pieces on the lathe for his family and friends. We will miss his wit and kindness, but above all, his immense presence in our lives. 

Owen was preceded in death by his beloved Reva, parents Sarah and Albert, sisters Janet O’Brien and Betty Dickerson and brother Mark Schumacher. He is survived by sons Garth Schumacher (NormaRae Hunt) of Minneapolis, Minn., David (Kelly) Schumacher of Burlington, N.C., and Peter Schumacher (Keren Rivas) of Gibsonville, N.C.; grandchildren Sarah Elizabeth Schumacher of Elon, N.C., Brian Baker Schumacher of Washington, D.C., Hannah Nell (Kyle) Wallace of Cartersville, Ga., and Emma Caroline (Connor) TeVault of Concord, N.C.; and cousins, nieces and nephews.

A celebration of Owen’s life will be held at Holt Chapel, 650 Holt Chapel Lane, Elon, N.C., on Saturday, Nov. 23, at 2 p.m. A reception will follow in the chapel’s lower level. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Elon Community Church UCC or to the charity of their choice.