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MT. TREMPER - Jack W. Schlegel, born Nov. 14, 1923 in Bremenhaven, Germany, died peacefully at home in Mt. Tremper. He had just returned from a 70th Anniversary Reunion visit to Normandy France with his remaining 82nd Airborne friends.
He came to the U.S. with his parents in 1930, and later enlisted in 1942 in the U.S. Army where he served in the 508 Paratroop Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division. He was highly decorated in four battles. He fought on D-Day in France, in Holland, at The Bulge and in Germany.
Jack served as Police Officer in Charge in Shandaken, where he also was a two term Town Supervisor. He was owner and operator of Schlegel Security Agency in Ulster County. He was a life member and co founder of the Ulster County Chiefs of Police, he was a life member of the 82nd Airborne Association, VFW, American Legion, and the Mt. Tremper Fire Department.
He was married for over 48 years to the late Elaine (Knapp) Schlegel. They lost their youngest son, Martin, to an accident while he was serving in the U.S. Navy. He is survived by his son, George G. Schlegel of Boiceville; a daughter, Susan LaBudde of Cooperstown; as well as two granddaughters, Jennifer and Jessica LaBudde or Cooperstown.
Entrusted to the care of A. Carr & Son Funeral Home, 65 Lucas Ave, Kingston. Light a candle in memory of Jack at
www.KeyserCarr.com
[Published in the Daily Freeman on June 15, 2014] |
Jack W. Schlegel, born November 14, 1923, in Bremenhaven,
Germany, died peacefully at home in Mount Tremper on June 11 at the age of
90. He had just returned from a 70th anniversary reunion in Normandy,
France, with his remaining friends from the 82nd Airborne.
Schlegel came to the U.S. with his parents when he was seven. In 1942, he
enlisted in the US Army, serving in the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment.
He received the Legion d’Honneur and three Purple Hearts for his role in
battles that included the D-Day invasion. In a Woodstock Times interview
last winter, he described his capture by the Germans and subsequent escape.
Schlegel’s unit parachuted into the countryside, skirmished with German
forces until enemy tanks arrived, and were captured. At prisoner-of-war
camps in Ste.-Chapelle-sur-Vie, Rheims, and Rennes, Schlegel, who spoke
fluent German, served as interpreter between the prisoners and the camp
administration.
When American forces were nearing Rennes, plans were made to evacuate the
prisoners. Schlegel pleaded with the camp doctor to be allowed to stay
behind and continue to help with the war effort. Displayed on the wall of
the “war room” at Schlegel’s house was a typewritten pass signed by a Dr.
Enziger. Schlegel recalled, “He told me, ‘If you should happen to find a
pass on the table, you can get out through the gate.’ And that’s exactly
what happened.”After the war, Schlegel worked in
New York City at a wholesale fur company managed by his father. |
One day, a call came from Henri Bendel, where Marlene
Dietrich was asking for a sable coat. Schlegel, then a lowly sales manager,
crossed town with furs to show Dietrich. She immediately recognized him from
a meeting in Europe, when she was entertaining the troops in 1944. The sale
to Dietrich boosted his status at the company. Jack
and his wife, Elaine, were married in 1948 and had two sons and a daughter.
They visited the Catskills frequently, buying a cabin without plumbing in
Mount Tremper for $3500 in 1949. Over the years, he fixed up the property,
adding a pool and guest cottage.
When he retired in 1970, the couple moved upstate full-time. Elaine worked
as a secretary at the medical clinic in Phoenicia, and Jack participated in
the town government, serving as supervisor for two terms and heading the
police force. He also owned and operated Schlegel Security Agency in Ulster
County. He was a co-founder of the Ulster County Chiefs of Police and a life
member of the 82nd Airborne Association, VFW, American Legion, and the Mount
Tremper Fire Department.
In recent years, Jack remained physically and mentally active, doing all the
cleaning to keep his house immaculate and maintaining strictly organized
collections of oil paintings, books, stamps, war memorabilia, and German
beer steins. He told the interviewer in December that he was still cutting
down trees, and he was hooked on Turner Classic movies.
Jack and the late Elaine (Knapp) Schlegel lost their youngest son, Martin,
to an accident while he was serving in the U.S. Navy. Jack is survived by
his son George G. Schlegel of Boiceville; a daughter, Susan LaBudde of
Cooperstown; and two granddaughters, Jennifer and Jessica LaBudde of
Cooperstown.
No funeral service is scheduled, but mourners may light a candle in memory
of Jack at www.KeyserCarr.com.
[Published in the Woodstock Times on June 20, 2014] |
