Obituary of Margaret Mary Schaller

Margaret M. Schaller died May 26, 2018 at the V.A. Hospital in Albany, NY, following 

a brief illness. She was born July 16, 1921 in Manchester, CT to parents Thomas Henry

McCartan and Honora Theresa McCartan. 

She was predeceased by her brother Thomas and sister Kathleen. Her eldest son Brian Michael Schaller passed away in 2010.  She is survived by three children: Joan Schaller Bauer, Lee Schaller and Kevin David Schaller. She is also survived by seven grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren.

Margaret graduated with honors from Manchester High School in Manchester, CT. She

was accepted into the Coast Guard during WWII and served as a Yeoman’s First Class,

SPAR, from 1943-1945, stationed in San Francisco. Margaret enjoyed those years in San

Francisco very much and always had lively stories of her days in the service. She married

Robert Leon Schaller, also a graduate of Manchester H.S. They lived in NJ, CA and NY

eventually divorcing in 1971. Margaret lived in Santa Barbara, CA eventually returning

to Syracuse, NY, and finally moving to Rotterdam, NY to be closer to her daughter, Lee.

Margaret greatly enjoyed the fine arts, particularly classical music, ballet, and art

museums. She traveled to Europe many times as well as Russia and China. She was

physically active and was swimming laps well into her nineties. Our family wishes to

extend our heartfelt appreciation to the wonderful staff at the Albany Veterans

Administration Hospital for their compassionate care. Margaret wished to be remembered

with these words; “Integrity, Compassion, and Generosity on the sly.” She will be dearly

missed by her family. 

A celebration of life will be held on July 22, 2018 at the Stockade

Inn, 1 North Church, Schenectady, NY from 1-4 p.m. 

In lieu of flowers, please make a gift to the Fisher

House Foundation, 79 Holland Avenue, Albany, NY 12208