Thomas E Schaadt

Thomas Edwin Schaadt, 71, of Westerville died Friday, March 28, 2025, at 3:48pm at his home. He drew his last breaths surrounded by his family. He was in remission from a six-and-a-half-year challenge with prostate cancer, and then a short battle with Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS), a type of leukemia was detected in November.
Tom was born on September 13, 1953, in Van Wert, Ohio, to Nathan Schaadt and Patricia Schaeper Schaadt (Carl) Hoghe, who all preceded him in death. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from Bowling Green State University in 1975 and was a part of the first class to earn a full 4-year degree in Computer Science. On October 11, 1975, he and Sandra K. Broecker were united in marriage in Van Wert, Ohio. This fall they would have celebrated their 50th anniversary. It was said this union also formed the largest record collection in Van Wert. He is survived by his wife Sandy, son Jason (Sarah) Schaadt of Reynoldsburg, and daughters Jamie Schaadt (Patrick Steele) of Westerville and Katie (Jordan) Dunkel of Columbus. He had 7 grandchildren which gave him great joy. Their ages range from 13 years down to 6 months. Victoria, Veronica, and Nathan Steele; Dylan and Norah Schaadt; and Isabel and Zoey Dunkel. Other family members include an aunt, Harriet Schaadt of Van Wert, and three siblings, Teresa Venis of Bowling Green, Eric Schaadt of Findley, Caroline (Stuart) Sheets of Ft. Wayne, IN, two nieces and three nephews.
Tom was employed by the Federal Reserve Bank since 1975, retiring in 2022 as an Assistant Vice President. In his time at the Federal Reserve he had many achievements, most notably the Check Clearing for the 21st Century Act (Check 21) which enabled banks to sort and deliver checks electronically nationwide.
In his spare time, Tom gave back to his local community through his volunteer work as the Vice President of the Westerville Amateur Soccer Association (WASA). Tom had dedicated over 30 years to growing the Westerville soccer community. He was on the staff and the board; volunteered as a coach; worked as a referee; lined fields; and mentored young players and referees in addition to playing soccer himself on co-ed and men's teams throughout Central Ohio. Since 1996 you could find Tom with Sandy at all the Columbus Crew home games, cheering on the Black and Gold.
Tom found a love for running late in life, completing his first 5k in 2012. One of his greatest pleasures was running races with his kids, and later his grandkids. He ran a total of six full marathons and countless half marathons, 10k's, and 5k's, from California to New York to Florida to Paris, France. His favorite races were the Disney races where he was never shy to dress in a tutu adorned with mugs of beer to the endearment of his children and grandchildren. His last run was a half marathon on November 3rd of 2024 at Disney World with son Jason by his side.
He and Sandy enjoyed traveling the world, taking in the sites of amazing places including France, Ireland, England, Spain, Mexico, Germany (for the 2006 World Cup), Alaska, Savannah, and New Orleans, to name a few. In March you could find him courtside with his pals, including those from the "Fed", as they took in the March Madness games together. He and Sandy also traveled to many OSU Bowl games. His heart was always with the Buckeyes, win or lose.
A Life's Celebration will be held in Westerville on Friday, April 25, 2025, at Everal Barn, 60 N. Cleveland Ave., Westerville, Ohio. The family will be receiving guests from 5:00pm to 8:00pm. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the WASA scholarship fund by browsing to https://www.wasasoccer.org/scholarship_donation.html