Friday, March 31, 2017
The Colebrook Chronicle
Obituaries
William Schomburg
WILLIAM SCHOMBURG
COLUMBIA–William “Bill” T.
Schomburg, 77, of Columbia,
passed away unexpectedly at his
home on Sunday, March 26, 2017.
He was born in Westport,
Conn., on Nov. 28, 1939, a son to
the late Otto and Emily
(Kitchen) Schomburg. He spent
his early life in Hopewell and
Princeton, N.J., attended prep
school at St. Francis in Spring
Grove, Penn., and later attended
colleges in St. Johns, Jamaica in
Queens, N.Y., Steubenville Col-
lege in Ohio and Bridgeport Uni-
versity in Connecticut.
He was a teacher by tempera-
ment and profession, holding
jobs as a principal and grade 5-6
teacher in Ohio and New Jersey,
and he also worked for Boeing
Aircraft in Washington state for
a while. He and his wife moved
their young family to northern
N.H. in the early 1970s, and
Schomburg became a beloved
English teacher for 30 years at
Colebrook Academy. He also
worked part-time and in retire-
ment at Stub’s Texaco, for the
White Farm in Columbia, as a
dispatcher for the Colebrook
Police Dept., at the Speedy Chef
restaurant, and for various
Christmas tree farmers in the
region. Bill loved to hunt, fish,
canoe, go camping, and read
poetry. He could often be found
at one of his favorite spots –
Meriden Hill, the Connecticut
River, Lyman Falls, Bunnell
Mountain, Lake Umbagog or
somewhere in the woods.
He was proud to have hitch-
hiked across America. He also
canoed twice from the North
Country to the mouth of the
Connecticut River in Saybrook,
Conn. He had hiked the 48 White
Mountain peaks over 4,000 ft.,
and had canoed most of the
Northern Forest Canoe Trail, as
well as the Long Trail in Ver-
mont.
Bill was also civic-minded and
served his communities and fel-
low man. He had participated in
the early civil rights movement
with marches on Washington,
which he attended by hitchhik-
ing, as well. He served as a Cole-
brook Jaycee, on the Nulhegan
Gateway Assn., Columbia’s
emergency management team,
the Upper Connecticut Valley
Community
Coalition,
the
Columbia Historical Society, and
as a Columbia selectman, plan-
ning board member and on the
board of adjustment. On his
Meriden Hill home farm, he
enjoyed raising beef, pigs, sheep,
turkey, ducks, geese, chickens,
rabbits, trout, and tending to his
large garden.
Bill leaves behind his beloved
wife of 50 years, Barbara (Pap-
stein) Schomburg of Columbia;
three children, Aaron Schomburg
and wife Erin of Princeton, N.J.,
Victoria Schomburg-Jones and
husband Andrew of Enfield, and
Matthew Schomburg and wife
Christina of Wonalancet; five
grandchildren, Rowan and Elena
Schomburg, Olive August-Rain
Schomburg and Ben and Eliza-
beth Jones; and his sister,
Angela Meister of Mt. Angel, Ore.
Calling hours were on Thurs-
day, March 30, 2017, from 7 to 9
p.m. at the Jenkins and Newman
Funeral Home in Colebrook. A
funeral Mass will be held at 11
a.m. on Friday, March 31, at St.
Brendan's Catholic Church in
Colebrook. A graveside commit-
tal service will be held in the
spring, 2017, at St. Brendan’s
Cemetery, of which notice will be
given.
Condolences may be offered to
the family online by going to
www.jenkinsnewman.com.
Funeral arrangements are
under the direction of Jenkins
and Newman Funeral Home in
Colebrook.
doorsman and liked projects such
as splitting wood for the wood-
stove.
His family includes his wife
June, their seven children;
Tammy (Mac) Mc Lain, DeW-
ayne Goulet, Dawn (Randy) Pel-
letier, Darcie (Frank) Concemi,
Angela Goulet, Andrew (Jen)
Goulet, Samantha (Marcus
Colby) Goulet, and daughter by
heart, Tricia (Bob) McCormick,
his grandchildren; Lauralyn
(Ace) Cross, Robert Mc Lain,
Toby
(Amanda)
Kenison,
Sabrina, Jessica and Randee
Dawn Pell