American patriot Colonel John J. Schnell of West Windsor passed away on August 2 due to complications from a stroke and subsequent fall. He was 86. He fought bravely and with dignity for six weeks in the hospital until he died peacefully surrounded by his beloved wife Antonia and his family.
John was born on January 3, 1938, to George and Marie Schnell in Brooklyn, New York. After John graduated from Bishop Loughlin High in 1955, he received his bachelor’s degree in economics from Queens College and then went on to earn his master’s degrees in business and public administration at the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. John was a voracious reader who never stopped educating himself. This love of learning was shared with his children and grandchildren, and his frequent refrain was to “learn one new thing every day no matter how big or small.”
After graduating from Queens College, John received his private pilot’s license and was commissioned in 1960 as a second lieutenant in the United States Air Force. John was then stationed at Mather Air Force Base in California and graduated at the top of his B-52 Bombardier navigation class. With commission in hand John and the love of his life, Antonia, started their 63-year adventure together with stops across the U.S., England, and Germany.
Upon returning from Europe, John and Toni settled in Long Island and raised their four children. John’s career included positions with the New York Port Authority on the construction of the World Trade Center and at Suffolk County as a deputy county executive. However, John’s greatest professional pride was his 28 years of service in the Air National Guard, where he retired as a Brigadier General. In retirement, John lived in West Windsor, where he and Toni were surrounded by their grandchildren and were highly involved in their lives. John was a devout Catholic and man of deep faith. His priorities in life were God, his wife Toni, family, and country. He passed these loves along to his children and grandchildren. He also adored his wife Toni, and they were inseparable.
John was predeceased by his parents George and Marie Schnell, his siblings George, Walter and Dorothy, and his grandson Daniel Tatum. He is survived by his wife Antonia; children and their spouses Ann & Clark Tatum, Dorothy & Kevin Ellwood, John & Carolyn Schnell, Raymond & Cheryl Schnell; grandchildren Elise Tatum; Stephen, Kyra, Anna, and Christian Ellwood; Cassidy, Brenna, Avery Schnell and Rhegan Johnson; Emma & Ava Schnell; and greatgrandchild Maeve Ellwood.
Services are as follows:
WAKE: August 11, 2 to 5 p.m., MJ Murphy Funeral Home, Monmouth Junction
MASS: August 12, 11 a.m., Saint David the King, West Windsor
BURIAL: August 12, 2:30 p.m., Washington Crossing National Veterans Cemetery, Newtown, Pennsylvania.
REPAST: Directly after the burial ceremony, all are welcome to attend. Grey Stone Fine Food and Spirits, Newtown, Pennsylvania.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Danny Tatum Memorial Scholarship Fund. On the donation page scroll down to “designation” and select the fund.
Krystal Knapp is the founding editor of Planet Princeton. Follow her on Twitter @krystalknapp. She can be reached via email at editor AT planetprinceton.com. Send all letters to the editor and press releases to that email address.