Obituary: Walter Schrader

Longtime summer resident Walter C. A. Schrader passed away at his home in Delray Beach, Florida on Monday, July 11, 2011. He was 82.

Arrangements were made by Lorne Funeral Home of Delray Beach, Florida and DeFriest-Grattan of Shelter Island. A funeral service was held Saturday, July 16, 2011 at St. Mary’s Church followed by a memorial reception at the Shelter Island Yacht Club.

Mr. Schrader was born on October 1, 1928 in Kew Gardens, New York to Alice and Walter Schrader. He grew up in Garden City and graduated from Garden City High School.

Mr. Schrader earned a degree in chemical engineering at Lehigh University  and went on to serve as plant manager for Allied Chemical in Illinois. He was married 43 years to the late Georgina Kane and together they raised three sons.

One of Mr. Schrader’s proudest accomplishments was becoming a licensed pilot. He flew his own Bonanza for 20 years, not only making extensive flights with members of his family to Alaska, the Bahamas and Shelter Island, but flying to and from work every day for many years.

In addition to flying, Mr. Schrader had many hobbies, all of which he approached with great passion. Sailing, swimming, tennis, skiing, golf and genealogy were just a few of these pursuits. He was a voracious reader, an excellent bridge player and had a great interest in ham radio and computers.

Mr. Schrader was always motivated to discover new things as evidenced by his travels, which took him around the world twice and included Siberia, Mongolia, Estonia, China, Turkey and the Galapagos Island, to name a few. His collection of travel souvenirs was vast.

In 1995, Mr. Schrader married Marijane Wilhelm Munson, who also was a longtime summer resident of Shelter Island. They made their winter home in Delray Beach and treasured their time on Shelter Island, where they enjoyed the visits of their children and grandchildren. Their blended family will miss him deeply, family members said.

Mr. Schrader is survived by his beloved wife of 16 years, Marijane Schrader; his three sons, Congressman Kurt Schrader, Mark Schrader and Scott Schrader; his step-children, Jennifer Celiberti and Karl Munson; as well as his 10 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be sent to Peconic Land Trust, P.O. Box 1776, Southampton, New York 11969, or at peconiclandtrust.org.