NICHOLAS SCHEETZ

1952 - 2016

SCHEETZ--Nicholas Breier,

63, of Newport, RI, formerly of Washington, D.C., died from complications of ALS on October 29, 2016. Born in Seattle, Washington on November 25, 1952, he was the son of the late Raymond and Elizabeth (Breier) Scheetz. His generosity towards friends was as proverbial as was his always beautifully planned dinners for them at his homes, clubs and favorite restaurants across continents. Nicholas graduated from Seattle Preparatory School and Georgetown University. After graduating magna cum laude from Georgetown with a double major in English and History, Nicholas learned Old Gaelic at the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS) and later earned a Masters degree in Celtic Studies from Catholic University. He was the manuscripts librarian in the Joseph Mark Lauinger Memorial Library at Georgetown University, where he helped build Georgetown's Special Collections. Nicholas was an avid book and manuscript collector. Tracking him through an antiquarian book fair was a little like following Sherlock Holmes in search of a clue. He counted among his many friends a number of poets and authors, including Seamus Heaney, Graham Greene, Norman Sherry, Shirley Hazzard, Phyllis Levin, Annabel Davis-Goff, Ned O'Gorman, Larry McMurtry and Larry Collins. He organized two exhibitions at the Grolier Club of New York: "Edward FitzGerald & The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam" and "William Everson: Poet, Printer & Monk". Nicholas is survived by his beloved and devoted wife Diana Pearson; his brothers Frederick (Carolyn), Raymond (Joan) and sister Elizabeth Scheetz von Doemming (Gerd) and their families. His project for the last few years has been to develop The Nicholas B. Scheetz Center for the Study of Rare Books and Manuscripts at Fairfield University, where he intends to donate his collection of 22,000 rare books and manuscripts. Nicholas often said he "saved the past for the future." Services will be held Friday, November 4, 2016 at 10:00am at St. Mary's Church, Newport, RI. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the "Scheetz Fund," Fairfield University, 1073 Benson Road, Fairfield, CT 06824, to the attention of Wally Halas, VP, Advancement. Funeral services are handled by the O'Neill-Hayes Funeral Home, for more information please visit www.oneillhayes.com