Gabriel Warren Schloat

Gabriel Warren Schloat III died on Tuesday, September 12, 2023 in Avon, Connecticut; he was 83 years old. His three sons were with him at the end of his life, as they were through his declining years and failing health.
Warren (a.k.a. "G-Bubbity") was born on March 27, 1940, in Los Angeles, California, to Virginia and Warren Schloat, Jr. His brother, Andy, was born six years later and the family moved to Westchester County in New York, in 1947, ultimately settling in Pleasantville. Pleasantville would become a constant in Warren's life for seven decades, from his childhood home on Palmer Lane to his offices on Washington Avenue and Castleton Street. After graduating from Pleasantville High School in 1958, Warren attended Colgate University and promptly transferred to Stanford University after realizing there were no women at Colgate.
Warren graduated from Stanford in 1962 with a degree in political science and economics and moved back east to attend New York University's Law School, graduating in 1966. In 1966 Warren also married a childhood friend, Janet Pritchard Kneubuhl, who saw through his inexplicable wardrobe and diet choices (a gray sweatsuit and wonder bread toast with peanut butter, every day without fail) and was a loving and dedicated partner for 33 years of marriage.
Warren and Janet moved to Westchester County in the late 1960's and together founded Sunburst Communications, an educational publishing firm, in 1972. Sunburst began in their home in Pound Ridge, New York, before moving to offices in Pleasantville. After his family, Sunburst was Warren's first passion: he was always proud of the community he built at the company, especially when the softball team managed a (rare) win against their crosstown rivals from Human Relations Media, ably captained by his younger brother. Sunburst employees will remember Warren, for better or worse, as the CEO who would hand out holiday bonuses dressed in his prized possession, a full-body gorilla suit. Warren's interest in education extended beyond his work at Sunburst, as he served on the school boards for both the Bedford Central School District and the Katonah-Lewisboro School District.
Warren and Janet welcomed three children to their family in the 1970's: David was born in 1973, Benjamin in 1975, and Michael in 1979, the latter prompting a move from Pound Ridge to Mount Kisco, where the family resided until 2000. Warren is survived by his brother, Andy, along with his wife, Mary, and their daughters, Meghan and Sara; his ex-wife, Janet, and their three sons together, David (and wife Maria), Benjamin (and wife Jennifer), and Michael (and wife Julie); six grandchildren (Aurora, Miranda, Lorelei, Carter, Macrae, and William); and his ex-wife, Barbara Stewart, whom he wed in 2002.
Warren always found ways to be active. He participated in the road-running craze of the 1970's and 80's, completing the New York City Marathon twice, while carrying cash in his sock in case he needed to hop a cab back. He was also an eager but notably terrible skier–so bad, in fact, that the coincidence of his learning to ski and the advent of widespread helmet use on the slopes may be more than mere happenstance. And Warren loved music and dancing, taking full advantage of the dance floor at every family party.
An avid and occasionally obsessive golfer, Warren treasured his time spent prowling the links, first at Whippoorwill Country Club in his youth, and later at Waccabuc Country Club, where his fellow golfers fondly called him "Uncle Warren." Warren also loved racquet sports, particularly tennis and paddle, and he was a fixture at the Saw Mill Club in Mount Kisco for many years. Winning was important to Warren, whether in business, on the golf course, or in a friendly game of ping pong with a grandchild, and "letting someone (i.e., a child) win" was unthinkable. Yet, his competitiveness and single-mindedness when it came to his work concealed his big heart and kind, gentle nature. Unfailingly generous and always scheming his next practical joke, Warren was full of love and happiness until the end, and all those who knew him will miss his liveliness and smile.
The family is planning a service to remember Warren sometime in late 2023 or 2024. In lieu of flowers, please consider trying to eat an entire bunch of bananas in one day (Warren called those days "weekdays") or making a donation to one of Warren's favorite non-profits: The Bement School in Deerfield, Mass.; St. Gabriel School in Windsor, Conn.; Avon Old Farms School in Avon, Conn.; The Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville, N.Y.; and The Lewisboro Volunteer Ambulance Corps in Cross River, N.Y.