John “Jack” F. Schumacher, 83, passed away at Miles Memorial Hospital in Damariscotta on the morning of March 19. Jack was born on April 26, 1928 in Gutenberg, N.J., the son of John Jay, “Jack” and Gevinina Schumacher.
He attended local schools, beginning with Franklin School after the family moved to Newcastle in 1933, living on the corner of Academy Hill. They moved to Damariscotta in 1935, after his father built a brick structure that was the family home and “Jack’s Inn.”
He loved riding his pony to the local swimming hole and working the small farm his father kept.
He completed his elementary education at Castner School and attended Lincoln Academy until being asked to leave at 16 and eloping to New York with the 21-year-old nurse he had met at Miles Memorial Hospital on Elm Street. They were married Jan. 20, 1945 at St. Francis Catholic Church in West New York. The young couple worked in the shipyards of the Hudson and eventually B.I.W. and traveled the country hawking magazines for several years with a crew of others. They moved back to Newcastle in 1951, eager to settle and start a family. They built their own home in a hayfield overlooking Great Salt Bay. Gloria was adopted in 1958, John in 1963 and Jennie in 1966.
Jack worked at anything he could find, while Dorothy stayed home, until he found steady work painting houses with Cliff Grindal. He learned the trade and struck out on his own, painting scores of local homes and eventually landing big contracts with Brunswick Naval Air Station and Pease Air Force Base and employing as many as 25 men. He returned to school around 1960, passed a high school equivalency test and talked his way into Bowdoin College and a partial scholarship by earning seven “A’s” at what has become the University of Southern Maine. He graduated in 1965 with a B.A. in English and immediately took a Masters in English at University of Maine at Orono. He accepted a job as an instructor at the university and when the University of Maine at Augusta opened, the family moved back to Newcastle in 1968. He earned a Masters in U.S. History from U.M.O. in the late 80s. His classes were well attended and tough. He taught for 33 years, retiring in 1996 as a full professor.
Jack and Dorothy started practicing Transcendental Meditation in 1975 and found a serenity that had been missing. He became a teacher of T.M. in 1977 and spent the rest of his life educating himself and others about the teachings of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. He continued to learned advanced techniques and was made a Doctor of the Science of Creative Intelligence from Maharishi International University in Fairfield, Ia. Jack also operated a T.M. center in Damariscotta for several years. He traveled to Europe and India, always eager to learn and explore.
Though he did not officially “graduate” from Lincoln Academy, he was included in the Class of 1945 and thoroughly enjoyed seeing his classmates at reunions in later years. He spoke fondly of all of them. At home he enjoyed woodworking, reading, writing, and many projects.
Jack was predeceased by his wife of 67 years, Dorothy, on June 15, 2011; and only sister, Gloria Bishop, who passed in 2008.
Jack is survived by his loving children, Gloria Elizabeth Schumacher of Owls Head, John Michael Schumacher of Newcastle, and Jennie Margaret Hoffman and husband Mark, also of Newcastle; and beloved grandchildren, Ryan Michael Hoffman and Sophia Ellen Schumacher.
A private service with family and friends will be held later in the season.
Condolences, messages or stories may be expressed at www.StrongHancock.com.
Arrangements are under the direction and care of the Strong-Hancock Funeral Home, 612 Main St., Damariscotta.
