Obituary of Francis Schumann

MACHIAS - Francis Schumann died peacefully in his home on December 18th 2013, at the age of 99. He was born in Philadelphia, delivered, as were his 2 brothers, by his father, an obstetrician. As a young man, he was an outstanding athlete in football and pole vault. Medicine was in his genes and, after graduating from Harvard College and then University of Pennsylvania Medical School, he joined the Army Air Force in WW II, serving as a flight surgeon in the European Theater. While stationed in Germany, he met Heide Jenisch and, after a 5-year trans-Atlantic courtship, they married and settled in Philadelphia. There, they raised a family - daughter, Linda and son, Frank - and he practiced medicine for 30 years. In 1982, they retired to Machias, where they had a nearby camp on the water. Always a believer in the importance of duty to one's community, he devoted his retirement years to local causes, in particular conservation and renovation of the Porter Memorial Library. He was proudly "old school", preferring fountain pens to ballpoints, hand-written letters to Word documents, two-man saw to chain saw. He embraced life, took an interest in everybody and everything, and did his part in making this a better world. His family takes this opportunity to give their deepest thanks to those who cared for him with such loving hands and hearts and to the whole community of Machias and that made his years there so meaningful. Memorial service will be held on Saturday, Feb 1st at 11:00 AM at the Centre Street Congregational Church in Machias. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Porter Memorial Library in Machias or the charity of your choice - See more at: http://obituaries.bangordailynews.com/obituaries/bdnmaine/obituary.aspx?n=francis-schumann&pid=169237048#sthash.28f2Uxfm.dpuf