Richard J. Schager

Richard J. Schager, a quiet man who loved to dance, “entered into eternal life,” his family wrote, on Thursday, Nov. 30, 2017, at St. Peter’s Hospital in Albany. He was 84.

He was born in Albany on Feb. 2, 1933, the son of the late Frank and Elisabeth Schager. His father had come from Austria and his mother had immigrated from Germany, said his sister-in-law, Marlene Schager.

“When he first came over, Frank worked for R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company in Kentucky. Elisabeth came through Ellis Island and was sponsored and worked in a boarding house in Kentucky. That’s where they met,” said Mrs. Schager.

The Schagers moved to a little farm in Gallupville, New York where they raised seven children — six boys and a girl. “Richie,” as Mr. Schager was called, was the third oldest child.

“They had a garden, and Frank would take the cabbages to New York City. He had relatives there who would spend their summers in Gallupville,” said Mrs. Schager.

Richard Schager worked for General Electric before he went out on disability, she said. He and his late wife, Pollyanna, lived in Delanson, where they raised their children, a daughter and a son. In his later years, as his health was failing, Mr. Schager lived with his daughter in Amsterdam, Mrs. Schager said.

He enjoyed his grandchildren. “He was your typical grandparent,” said Mrs. Schager.

“He was a private guy. He didn’t say much,” concluded Mrs. Schager. “He loved round dancing.”

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Richard J. Schager is survived by his daughter, Deborah Winchester, and her husband, Cliff, of Amsterdam; by his son, Richard, of Schenectady; by his grandchildren, Tyler and Sarah; by his brothers, Alfred, Walter, and Gerald; and by many nieces and nephews.

His wife, Pollyanna Roach Schager, died before him, on Oct. 10, 1992. Two of his brothers, Frank Schager Jr. and Rudolph Schager, also died before him, as did his sister, Mildred Tegiacchi.

A graveside service was held at the Grove Cemetery in Delanson on Monday, Dec. 4.

— Melissa Hale-Spencer

 

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