~ IN MEMORY ~
Air Force colonel, Vermont National Guard &
former DL
pilot Ludwig John ‘Sonny’ Schumacher Jr.
May 28, 1964 – December 18, 2013
and son Gunnar Michael Schumacher
January 7, 1999 – December 18, 2013
LUDWIG J. "SONNY" SCHUMACHER -
Ludwig J. "Sonny" Schumacher died Dec. 18, 2013, in Essex Junction. He was
49. An Air Force colonel, Ludwig Schumacher joined the Connecticut Army National
Guard in 1982 and served as a UH1H helicopter pilot. In 1987, he received a
bachelor's degree from the University of Connecticut. In 1989, he joined the
Vermont Air National Guard and served as an F16 instructor pilot. In 1990, he
received a Juris Doctor degree from the University Of Connecticut School Of Law,
and was later admitted to practice law in Vermont. In 1998, he joined Delta Air
Lines 02-12-1998, where he flew Boeing 727, 737, 757 and 767 aircraft. From 2006
to 2011, he oversaw Vermont National Guard support to civilian authorities in
response to man-made or natural disasters. In 2008, he received a Masters Degree
in Security Studies from the Naval Postgraduate School. From 2011 to 2013, he
served as a senior executive in the private sector. He was also serving in the
Air Force Reserve as a Regional Emergency Preparedness Liaison Officer, and was
pursuing a Masters of Business Administration degree at Norwich University.
Sonny is survived by many family members and friends, both in Vermont and
throughout the country who will miss him dearly. There will be a private
ceremony to be held at a later date. Sonny's family invites you to share your
memories and condolences by visiting
www.awrfh.com
.Published in The Burlington Free Press on Jan. 28,
2014
GUNNAR M. SCHUMACHER -
Gunnar Michael Schumacher, 14, passed away on Dec. 18, 2013, in Essex. He
was born on Jan. 7, 1999, in Burlington, the son of Ludwig and Christina
(Fitzgerald) Schumacher. Gunnar was a freshman at Essex High School where he was
known for his great sense of humor, energy, and sense of adventure. He was a
talented musician, soccer player, skier, and snowboarder. His curiosity, energy,
and passion for life touched and enriched the lives of those who were lucky
enough to know him. He is survived by his mother, Christina Schumacher; and a
sister, Elise Schumacher. Visiting hours will be held on Saturday, Jan. 11,
2014, from 12 to 4 p.m. at Essex Alliance Church, 37 Old Stage Rd., Essex
Junction. A private family funeral service has been held and there will be no
public funeral services held. A celebration of life ceremony will be held on
behalf of Gunnar at a future date. The dates and times of the celebration and
memorial contribution information will be posted on the A.W. Rich Funeral Home
website once they are available. Burial will be at the convenience of the family
in the family lot in Resurrection Park Cemetery, South Burlington. A.W. Rich
Funeral Home and the family invite you to share your memories and condolences by
visiting
www.awrfh.com
.Published in The Burlington Free Press on Jan. 10, 2014
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Essex Students Write to Remember Gunnar Schumacher
At the Essex High School auditorium Thursday students covered
the walls with their best memories of 14-year old Gunnar Schumacher. Writing to
remember the friend they lost too soon.
“I’ve known him since 7th grade he was on my team and he was
really amazing actually,” Essex Freshman Danielle Krueger said.
Krueger and Emily Moehn also went to middle school with the
fellow freshman.
“Even if you weren't happy he'd make you laugh so you would be
happy,” Moehn said
In the auditorium, Danielle and Emily say there were a lot of
tears. The two of them found out about Gunnar's death Wednesday night before a
tough day at Essex High School.
“I attended every class Gunnar would have been in today,”
Essex High School principal Rob Reardon said.
“Also people were in his sister's class Elise, who is a
junior.”
Reardon said Elise Schumacher was at school for a few minutes
Thursday before leaving.
In a news conference Thursday Reardon said his school followed
crisis protocol. They offered guidance and counsel to any student who needed it
and the auditorium was open at any time of the day for students to reflect on
what Gunnar with others.
Reardon said Gunnar's father Ludwig Schumacher called the teen
out of school for both Tuesday and Wednesday for family issues. He says it’s not
unusual for parents to call students out of school.
Reardon says Gunnar was involved in soccer and music
production.
“He was part of the school and had transitioned very well,”
Reardon said.
His transition to Essex High happened at the same time police
say his father was going through a divorce. Reardon said he was aware of family
issues the Schumacher’s were having.
Essex Police also say the 49-year old Schumacher left a letter
at the apartment where they found the two.
They haven't released what was in the letter but say it's
consistent with their investigation of a murder-suicide.
But for Gunnar’s friends he won't be remembered by the
terrible circumstances in which he died but instead by how he
lived.
“I would have never thought of this before but I’m going to
miss him so much,” Danielle Krueger said.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Vt. Mother Held in Psychiatric Ward Freed by Judge
BURLINGTON, Vt. January 25, 2014
A Vermont woman held against her will for more than five weeks
at a psychiatric ward after her estranged husband killed their son and then
hanged himself was ordered released by a judge Friday.
Christina Schumacher, 48, was ordered released immediately
from Fletcher Allen Health Care in Burlington by Vermont Superior Court Judge
Kevin Griffin, the Burlington Free Press reported (http://bfpne.ws/1jMHYKp).
Schumacher had been at the hospital since Dec. 19, a day after
14-year-old Gunnar Schumacher and 49-year-old Ludwig Schumacher were found dead
in an Essex apartment. Police said the father strangled the high school freshman
before he hanged himself.
It was unclear whether Schumacher had left the facility by
Friday night.
Griffin said in his ruling that he disagreed with a doctor's
assessment before Schumacher arrived for a regular appointment the day after the
murder-suicide that she needed to admit herself or be taken into
custody.
"The court did not find, by clear and convincing evidence,
that Respondent was a person in need of treatment at the time of admission or
application, nor a patient in need of further treatment at the time of the
hearing," Griffin wrote in his ruling.
The Burlington Free Press reported that, according to court
records, Schumacher indicated to her sister after the couple separated last
summer that she would kill herself if anything happened to her two
children.
"I am not ill; I am simply a mother who is grieving the tragic
loss of her young son," Schumacher told the Burlington Free Press this week. "No
mother should ever have to experience this loss."
Schumacher told the newspaper that she and her insurance
company had been billed for the unwanted treatment.
Mike Noble, a spokesman for the hospital, said that he can't
speak to the specifics of the case but "that in all matters such as this we make
decisions that we think are in the best interests of the patient."
Schumacher had warned police that she feared for her son's
safety hours before the bodies were found, according to court papers. She told
Essex police the night before the murder-suicide that she feared Ludwig
Schumacher might try to take the teenager out of the country, according to court
papers.
Ludwig Schumacher was a former member of the Vermont National
Guard and state Republican campaign official. Police said he left a typed
suicide note in the apartment.
