Schoonmaker, Everett B. Jr.
Birth
Mr. Schoonmaker was born November 3, 1923 on his family's farm on Switzkill Road in Berne.[1]. He was the son of Everett B. Schoonmaker Sr.
Education
Everett attended the Bradt Hollow School in West Berne and graduated from the Berne-Knox Central School in 1941. He then attended Union College for one year, and returned to Berne to farm with his father, Everett B. Schoonmaker Sr.[1]
Marriage and Children
Everett married Arlene _______ and they had three daughters--Cheryl, Janet and Karen Schoonmaker.[1]
Occupation
Everett was a farmer who ran his family's general store.[1]
Military Service
Mr. Schoonmaker was a member of the Army Air Forces Aircraft Warning Service and volunteered as a lookout during World War II.[1]
Death
"Bud" Schoonmaker died on May 17, 2007 at home after a long illness.[1]
Burial
Interment was in the Woodlawn Cemetery in Berne.[1]
Other Media
Obituary
West Berne
Everett B. "Bud" Schoonmaker Jr., a farmer who ran his family's general store, died on May 17, 2007 at home after a long illness. He was 83. His wife, Arlene Schoonmaker, described her husband as an "outgoing" man. Mr. Schoonmaker was born November 3, 1923 on his family's farm on Switzkill Road in Berne. He attended the Bradt Hollow School in West Berne and graduated from the Berne-Knox Central School in 1941. He then attended Union College for one year, and returned to Berne to farm with his father, Everett B. Schoonmaker Sr., said his daughter, Cheryl Furman. "He was going to be a teacher, but the war came.," Mrs. Furman said. Mr. Schoonmaker and his father farmed 350 acres and raised sweet corn, potatoes, and tomatoes, Mrs. Furman said. They had about 70 head of Holstein cows, 40 of them milking cows, she said. Mr. Schoonmaker was a member of the Army Air Forces Aircraft Warning Service and volunteered as a lookout during World War II, Mrs. Furman said. The look out was located on West Mountain. Mr. Schoonmaker drove up the mountain with Milton Hart. When it was too icy to go up Irish Hill, they had to go way around by way of Cole Hill. A self-employed farmer until 1970, Mr. Schoonmaker then operated Schoonmaker's General Store in West Berne. He retired in 1982. In his pictorial history of Berne, "Life Along the Way," Willard Osterhout chronicles the early days of Schoonmaker's Store. The Schoonmaker's Store, a family-owned business that spanned over a century, was opened in 1871 by Mr. Schoonmaker's great-grandfather, Dewitt C. Schoonmaker. Mr. Schoonmaker's grandfather, Isaac Barber Schoonmaker, operated the store from 1898 to 1951. The store burned once at the end of the 19th Century, and again in April of 1903. After the store burned the second time, Isaac Schoonmaker didn't have the money to rebuild, so companies he did business with gave him money to rebuild the store. Mr. Schoonmaker's uncle, Arthur C. Schoonmaker, then operated the store from 1951 to 1966, when he died. Mr. Schoonmaker then ran the general store with his father. There had been a post office in back of the store when Isaac Schoonmaker operated it, said Mrs. Furman. "In our time, it was a general store," she said. Mr. Schoonmaker was a member of the West Berne Methodist Episcopal, Beaverdam Reformed until they closed, and then of the Berne Reformed Church. He was a charter member of the Town of Berne Historical Society, also a member of the Foxenkill Grange. Mr. Schoonmaker liked running and singing; while attending the Beaverdam Reformed Church, he led the choir, said Mrs. Furman. Her father also enjoyed bowling and played on the Berne-Knox baseball team when he was younger, Mrs. Furman said. Mr. Schoonmaker had "a great sense of humor" and "always thought of others before himself," she said. "Even if he was feeling down, he would make up a joke to make other people laugh." Mr. Schoonmaker is survived by his wife, Arlene H. Schoonmaker; and his daughters, Cheryl Furman, and her husband Clarence, of West Berne, Janet Schoonmaker of West Berne, and Karen Merritt of Rensselaer. He is also survived by his grandchildren, Matthew Davis, Sarah Furman, and Angie Merritt; his great-grandchildren, Elijah Davis, and his nephew, Jonathan Hodge from Connecticut. Arrangements are by Fredendall Funeral Home in Altamont. A private funeral service was held. Interment was in the Woodlawn Cemetery in Berne. Memorial contributions may be made to the Berne Ambulance Squad or the Berne Reformed Church.--Tyler Schuling.
Published in The Altamont Enterprise, Page 31, 24 May 2007 Issue.
Additional Media
Everett B Schoonmaker: Social Security Death Index (SSDI) Death Record
Name: Everett B Schoonmaker
State of Issue: New York
Date of Birth: Saturday November 03, 1923
Date of Death: Thursday May 17, 2007
Est. Age at Death: 83 years, 6 months, 14 days
Confirmation: Verified
Last known residence:
City: Berne; South Berne; West Berne
County: Albany
State: New York
ZIP Code: 12023
Latitude: 42.6069
Longitude: -74.1594
Sources
