I think I can finely end my search for Arthur D Schumacher. I’ve been searching off and on now for a couple of months to find information on him. It’s part of my ongoing effort to find out about the men who served with my Grandfather in the 503d Company F Mortar Platoon. For a reference, I have been using the “F” Co. Roster of February 16, 1945. The roster can be found on the 503d website.
Here’s what I have;
The “F” Co. Roster of February 16, 1945 has him listed as Arthur D Schumacher. He is listed as serving in the 2nd Squad of the Mortar Platoon along with Richard E Gruver, Virgil Short, James W Smith, Robert W Thomas, and Paul W Turley.
The Corregidor Jump Roster by Templeman has an Arthur C Schumacher listed in F Company. To my knowledge, this is the only person on the roster with the last name of Schumacher (pronouced Shoemocker).
The Paul Turley picture collection on the website has two photos with the name “Schumaker” in reference to one of troopers in the photos alongside Robertson and Virgil Short. The images are PWT 01-03 and PWT 01-4.
I believe the following to be true;
The Correct name is Arthur C Schumacher.
Arthur Charles Schumacher (SN 35754487)
Arthur was born on April 6, 1924 in Woodsfield, Ohio. Woodsfield, Ohio is in Monroe County. The County is located in Southeast Ohio along the Ohio River. Just across the river is West Virginia. It’s a rural area with rolling hills and a beautiful countryside. The population in 2010 was 2,384.
Besides for the time he spent in the service, it appears Arthur spent his entire life in Woodsfield, Ohio where he made his living as a carpenter until his death in 1984. He died relatively young. His father also died at the fairly young age of 51 of a heart attack.
There is no reference to his service with the 503d in his obituary, only a reference to his service in WWII. You must read his father’s obituary to piece together the puzzle. His father died in 1944 while Arthur was presumably overseas with 503d and is buried in the same cemetery as Arthur.
Arthur’s obituary reads as follows;
(Newspaper clipping dated June 5, 1984)
Arthur C. Schumacher, 60, of Woodsfield, died Tuesday at home. He was born April 6, 1924 at Woodsfield, the son of the late Louis and Estella Ackerman Schumacher. He was a self-employed carpenter, a member of St. Sylvester Catholic Church, Woodsfield, and was a veteran of WWII.
Surviving are his wife, Doris Edwards Schumacher; four daughters: Mrs. Shane (Tina) Morgan and Mrs. Robert (Teresa) Green both of Cambridge, Mrs. Joel (Carolyn) Burris of Caldwell, and Mrs. Doug (Susie) Riddle of Columbus; two brothers, Louis and Francis, both of Woodsfield; a sister, Margaret Bride of Cambridge; seven grandchildren. Friends will be received at the Bauer-Turner Funeral Home, Woodsfield 2 -4 and 7-9 today.
Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Friday in St. Sylvester Catholic Church, with Monsignor Robert A. Brown, and the Revs. Vince Huber and Henry Schumacher, the celebrants. Burial will be in St. Sylvester Catholic Church Cemetery. Rosary devotions will be recited at 7 p.m. today in the funeral home.
Burial:
Saint Sylvester Catholic Church Cemetery
Woodsfield, Ohio
Monroe County
Ohio, USA
Below is an excerpt from his father’s obituary, Louis Schumacher. He died on November 30, 1944.
“Surviving are his widow, Mrs. Stella Ackerman Schumacher; one daughter, Margaret Ann, of the home; three sons, Pvt. Arthur C. Schumacher, a paratrooper serving in the South Pacific, and Louis, Jr., and Francis, of the home; his mother, Mrs. Julia Yontz Schumacher; one sister, Mrs. Flora Burbacher, and one brother, Herbert Schumacher, all of Woodsfield.”
Here’s the kicker…
My dad’s Aunt, Doris Lucille Mayer Schumacher married Raymond Theodore Schumacher of Woodsfield, Ohio in 1940. Raymond’s and Arthur’s Grandfathers were Brothers. My dad’s uncle Ray and Aunt Doris lived across the street from my dad as a kid. Uncle Ray and his cousin Ray Schumacher Jr. would go back to the family farm in Woodsfield each year to go hunting. They called it going to the “Hills”.
Below is a picture of the military marker for Arthur C Schumacher.
(Photograh by Charles Burkharht)