SCHALLER Frederick F. Jr., 96, of Wellesley, November 7, 2014. Beloved husband of the late Anne (Knott) Schaller.
Born in Washington DC, to Susanne Young and Frederick F. Schaller he grew up in Washington DC and spent his summers at the family homestead in Wellesley. He met Anne at a Trinity Church social; they married in April of 1950, and celebrated their 64th wedding anniversary in April 2014. He is survived by his five children, Frederick W. Schaller; Robert M. and wife Tracy (Dillon) Schaller of Natick; Susanne Y. Schaller; David M. and wife Marie (Galego) Schaller of East Greenwich, RI; and Elizabeth A. (Schaller) and husband Babesh Bhuju of Natick; and five grandchildren Bruce, Alex, Diana, Grant, and Kate. Fred is predeceased by his wife Anne, his sisters Caroline S. Albert of Washington, DC; Mary S. Lahart of Deland, FL; and his granddaughter-in-law Adriana, of Providence RI.
He attended MIT (class of 1939), and graduated with a BS and MS in Electrical Engineering, and a ROTC commission. He worked at the Naval Ordinance Lab until called up in 1942. An officer in the Corps of Engineers, he spent a year in India, where the Army was training Chinese soldiers. In 1945 he was sent to Kunming, China working on the Burma Road, and later Shanghai. Honorably discharged as a Captain in 1946.
He worked for New England Power, before buying the Auto Sickle Company. He founded Coatings Engineering, leaving to start East Coast Plastics.
He volunteered for numerous organizations, including the Eliot Church of S. Natick, The Natick Historical Society, MIT Alumni Association, Bacon Free Library, Glenwood Cemetery, trustee of Middlesex Savings Bank, Wellesley Town Meeting Member, and Wellesley Public Works Advisory Board. The MIT Alumni Association awarded him the Harold E. Lobdell Distinguished Service Award in 2005. He was an avid reader, he loved sailing, spending time with his grandchildren, and gardening – especially tomatoes, butternut squash, and blueberries.
Visiting hours will be held Tuesday, November 11th, from 4-8p.m. at the George F. Doherty & Sons Funeral Home, 477 Washington Street, Wellesley, MA. A Funeral Service will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday November 12th at the Eliot Church (corner of Union St. and Rt.16) South Natick. Interment Glenwood Cemetery, South Natick. Reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to the Eliot Church of South Natick, 45 Eliot Street, Natick, MA 01760.