December 13, 2007

The Society lost a great friend and Board Member this week.  Ed Schaller, our treasurer and head of the Model Committee, died (at age 68) in his sleep on Monday evening, December 10th. The cause of death has not been determined as of today, the 13th, but Ed had been complaining of shortness of breath for about a month.  Tests had shown the problem to be in his lungs, but his doctors were still looking for an exact cause.  He is survived by his wife Arlene and their son, Geoffrey.

According to Arlene, Ed was having problems with the oxygen level in his blood, so he was using supplemental oxygen. I visited Ed briefly on Saturday the 8th, and while he was feeling a bit tired, he was upbeat about his prognosis and was scheduled for more tests on Monday.

Ed was a chemical engineer who specialized in coatings research at Rohm & Haas in Springhouse PA, for 34 years before his retirement.  He had a BS degree in Chemical Engineering from Villanova University and a PhD from the University of Pennsylvania.

I did not know that Ed had his doctorate until I happened to glimpse one of his business cards at a Board meeting.  He was a very humble, hardworking and friendly person, as anyone who met him in person would attest.

Ed joined the ARHS Board in 2003 and revitalized the modeling efforts of the Society, which had not had such an energetic champion since Ted Tucker was heading that department. After much cajoling and some ‘friendly persuasion’, Ed became our Treasurer in July of 2006. Ed was in the process of building a layout to represent the LV from the Lehigh Valley area up to Coxton Yard.  He started building the layout as a freelance road until he learned about the LVRR. As he learned more and his interest grew, he decided to model the LV and adapt his layout accordingly.  This interest lead him to the ARHS and to also start his own website, the LV Railroad Modeler.

A service will be held for Ed on Saturday, January 26, 2008 at 2 pm at the Bux-Mont Unitarian Universalist Church, 2040 Street Rd., Warrington PA 18976.  The church is just east of PA Rte 611. Street Road is approximately 6 miles north of the Willow Grove Interchange of the PA Turnpike.  In lieu of flowers, Arlene has requested that donations be made to the church in Ed’s name.   His obituary will appear in this Sunday’s Philadelphia Inquirer and will also be available online at www.philly.com after it is published. 

The Society will also pay tribute to Ed by hosting his website, as well as other means yet to be determined.  More info will be provided as it becomes available.

Walter Hoffmann
President, ARHS

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