William T. Schomburg

November 28, 1939 - March 26, 2017

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, NJ, attended prep school at St. Francis in Spring Grove, Penn., and later attended colleges in St. Johns, Jamaica in Queens, NY, Steubenville College in Ohio and Bridgeport University in Connecticut. He was a teacher by temperament and profession, holding jobs as a principal and grade 5-6 teacher in Ohio, 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 NH in the early 70s, and Mr. Schomburg became a beloved English teacher for 30 years at Colebrook Academy. He also worked part-time and in retirement 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 favorites spots – Meriden Hill, the Connecticut River, Lyman Falls, Bunnell Mountain, Lake Umbagog or somewhere in the woods. He was proud to have hitchhiked 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 Vermont. Bill was also civic-minded and served his communities and fellow man. He had participated in the early civil rights movement with marches on Washington, which he attended by hitchhiking, as well. He served as a Colebrook Jaycee, on the Nulhegan Gateway Assn., Columbia’s emergency management team, the Upper Connecticut Coalition, the Columbia Historial Society, and as a Columbia selectman, planning 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 (Papstein) Schomburg of Columbia; three children, Aaron Schomburg and wife Erin of Princeton, NJ, Victoria Schomburg-Jones and husband Andrew of Enfield, NH, and Matthew Schomburg and wife Christina of Wonalancet, NH; five grandchildren, Rowan and Elena Schomburg, Olive August-Rain Schomburg and Ben and Elizabeth Jones; and his sister, Angela Meister of Mt. Angel, Ore. Calling hours will be on Thursday, March 30, 2017, from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Jenkins & 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 committal 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 on-line by going to www.jenkinsnewman.com. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Jenkins & Newman Funeral Home, Colebrook, NH.