Karl Bennett Schlabach

1935 - 2022

Karl "Skip" Bennett Schlabach, 87, of Suttons Bay, Mich., passed away on Friday, April 22, 2022.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Starks & Menchinger Chapel, 2650 Niles Road, St. Joseph.

Karl was born on Jan. 14, 1935, in Benton Harbor, to the late Karl and Mary (Bennett) Schlabach.

He was a 1953 graduate of Benton Harbor High School. He furthered his education at Michigan State University, receiving his bachelor of arts degree. While attending MSU, he played trumpet in the marching band and majored in hotel and restaurant management. Karl was a member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity.

He was chosen by the U.S. Olympic Committee and the MSU Hotel School to be the steward for the U.S. Olympic Team in Melbourne, Australia, in 1956.

Karl spent more than 43 years in the food industry, including 36 years in branded and private frozen foods. During these years, he began his career with Greenfield Mills Restaurant Co. (1959-62). He moved on to work for American Airlines as a food service representative (1962-66). In 1966, he began his marketing and sales career with Nestle USA – Stouffer Foods until 1984. In 1984, he joined OverHill Farms Inc., to become senior vice president of sales and marketing. He retired from OverHill Farms in 2013.

Karl is survived by his wife, Judith (Blake), whom he married Aug. 15, 1959; his two sons, Karl "Blake" (Lori) Schlabach of Indianapolis and Christopher Scott (Beth) Schlabach of Lake Norman, N.C.; grandchildren, Emma, Evan, Ryan, Lauren (Alex) and Lindsay; brother and sister-in-law, Vincent (Patricia) Blake of Spring Lake, Mich.; and cousins, Kathryn (Lloyd) MacTavish of St. Joseph and Elizabeth Woods of Marquette, Mich.

Preceding Karl in death were his parents, Karl and Mary; mother- and father-in-law, C.E. and Bonnie Blake; and a cousin, Ted Spanner.

A celebration of life service will be at 12:30 p.m. Monday, May 2 at First Congregational United Church of Christ, 2001 Niles Ave., St. Joseph, with the Rev. Jeffrey Hubers officiating. Burial will follow at Riverview Cemetery in St. Joseph. Visitation with the family will be from 2-4 p.m. Sunday at Starks & Menchinger Chapel.

Memorial contributions can be made to Hospice at Home, 2366 Oak Valley Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48103; or to First Congregational UCC.

Friends wishing to leave the family a message of condolence can do so online at www.starks-menchinger.com.