Andrew C. Schoerke
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Published in The Bennington Banner on September 24, 2022
BORN 1933
DIED 2022
Andrew C. Schoerke, beloved husband and father, died peacefully at his home in Shaftsbury, Vermont, at the age of 89 on August 25, 2022, in the presence of his loving family. For two years he had bravely persevered through the ravages of ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease).
Born on August 10,1933, in Petrolia, PA, Andy was the son of Rebecca Speers Schoerke and Douglas A. Schoerke.
In 1950, Andy graduated from Lower Merion Senior High School in Ardmore, PA. In 1956, he earned a Bachelor of Architecture degree at Penn State and joined the Navy. After Officer Candidate School, Andy was commissioned as Ensign; sent to Air Intelligence School; assigned to Heavy Attack Squadron One, USS Forestall; and served as bombardier/navigator. Released from Active Duty in 1959, Andy became a Ready Reserve Naval officer and retired in 1979 as Captain, after 23 years of service. In 1980 he became a peace activist. For years he was active with the Greater Bennington Peace and Justice Center, and with Veterans for Peace until the last year of his life.
Andy’s career as an architect in Philadelphia spanned four decades, including employment with Vincent G. Kling, Peter Simonceli & Associates, Kling Lindquist, and his own firm, Andrew C Schoerke, Architect. He designed and managed a variety of projects, which included schools, a county court house addition, a church, corporate headquarters, a newsroom, and pharmaceutical research and manufacturing facilities.
In 1965, Andy reconnected with Nancy Thompson, whom he had met at Penn State when they were undergraduates. They were married in August 1966, and raised two daughters, Jennifer and Melissa.
Andy was predeceased by his beloved brother, Douglas A. Schoerke, Jr., in 1989; and also by his beloved dog, Toto, and cat, Keeper, who surely greeted him at the Rainbow Bridge. Andy is survived by his wife of 56 years, Nancy Schoerke; their daughters, Jennifer Schoerke and Melissa Koomson; and his son-in-law, Kwesi Koomson.
A memorial service for Andy Schoerke will be held on October 8, 2022 at 1:30pm at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Bennington (UUFB) at 108 School Street in Bennington, VT 05201. The family kindly requests that attendees mask. The service will be followed by a short reception and a procession to Lake Shaftsbury for military honors at 4pm.
Andy’s family is grateful for the excellent care Bayada Hospice provided throughout Andy’s illness.
If friends should desire, contributions in memory of Andrew may be made to Compassionate Care ALS at ccals.org or P.O. Box 1052, West Falmouth, MA 02574
FUNERAL HOME
E. P. Mahar and Son Funeral Home, Inc. – Bennington
628 Main Street
Bennington, VT
