Stephen G. Schomody

STEPHEN G. SCHOMODY BURLINGTON - Stephen G. Schomody passed away peacefully on Monday, Feb. 16, 2009. George was born to Frances and Stephen Schomody on Nov. 28, 1937, in New Brunswick, N.J. He grew up with his younger siblings, Mike and Susie, in North Brunswick, where they fondly remember taking weekly trips together to the town pool during summer. Summers spent swimming in the Esopus "crick" at their aunts' houses and hiking on "their mountain"in Saugerties, N.Y., are also favorite memories. George met his wife, Susan Jane Silliman, on the steps of New Brunswick's town library. Attracted to the space and pace of Vermont, they moved here a few years after getting married. That move was the beginning of George's lifelong and successful pursuit of Vermont's best fishing spots. George had a long career at IBM in Essex, Vt. He fathered three daughters, and took some memorable camping and ocean vacations with his family. When he retired, George indulged in a new fishing boat to support his hobby. His family cannot eat peas or lima beans without thinking of how much he disliked them, nor eat mashed potatoes without remembering his great love for them. Thanks to George, his family knows the fastest route to anywhere in the Burlington area. He was a well-loved Grandpa, Peepa, and Bpa Bpa. He attracted kids and pets wherever he went. George will be remembered for his troublemaking smile, snicker, card-carrying membership in the "Father's Union of Trivial Facts", storehouse of personal safety tips, integrity, detailed interest in the weather, appetite for reading of all kinds, dislike for anything that stood between himself and his lawnmower, love of Lake Champlain, and dedication to thoroughness, neatness, and routine. He leaves a legacy of giving nicknames to creatures and people for whom he held affection, a great love of family, and a joking approach. He takes with him a priceless cache of fishing secrets garnered over decades, the Ticklebug, and the Three Guys Game. Stephen is survived by his wife, Susan Schomody of Burlington; his brother, Mike Schomody of Haymarket, Va.; his sister, Susie Worrall of Princeton, N.J.; his eldest daughter Jill Slayton, son-in-law Kim Slayton, and their son, Will of Port Orange, Fla.; and his twin daughters and their families: Jana and Patrick Guinen and their children Angus, Maya, and Molly of Duxbury, Mass. and Denise Schomody and husband Joseph Petrarca and their son, Dominic of Burlington. The family would like to thank the staff and employees of Starr Farm Nursing Center for their care and attention to Stephen since his admission in August 2008. His life will be celebrated in a memorial service at the First Baptist Church on St. Paul Street in Burlington on Monday, Feb. 23 at 11 a.m. A small reception will follow in the church basement. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that donations be sent to: UVM College of Medicine, Department of Neurology, ALS Research Fund, 89 Beaumont Avenue, Burlington, Vt. 05405. Attn: Joanne Stetson. Please mark donations "In memory of Stephen George Schomody". Arrangements are in the care of Corbin & Palmer Funeral Home, 71 South Union Street, Burlington..