John Henry Schumm

John Henry Schumm died peacefully on Saturday, August 23, 2025. He was born in Brooklyn, NY on November 9, 1937 to Elizabeth and John Schumm. He was predeceased by Carol, his devoted wife of 64 years along with his parents, beloved aunt Marie, brother Bob and Bob's wife Alice, infant sister Elizabeth, and daughter Dianne Marie Smith.

He is survived by his loving daughter Jeanne Johnson (Steve), sons Dan Schumm (Jenny) and Joe Schumm (Lydia); grandchildren Jesse (Rachelle), Jessica (Milton), Joey (Ashe), Kayla (Richard),  Ray, Madison, and Spencer; and great-grandchildren Leslie, Katelyn, David, Daniel, Kristen, Richard, and Jackson. 

John graduated with honors from Manhattan College in 1959 with a Bachelors in Electrical Engineering. He spent much of his career using his engineering and management skills in the electronic defense segment with notable contributions to the SR-71 and E2-C platforms. His second career was guided by his love for numbers, as well as pride and joy in helping those in need, such as elderly widows, in the preparation of individual tax returns.

He enjoyed sailing, fishing, gardening, crossword puzzles, and any well-prepared food.  In his 20s, he designed and built beautiful bedroom furniture for his young sons. He was a lifelong learner continuing to take college courses until the end. John was especially enthusiastic about following current events and was an avid Washington Post reader.  Pursuing and documenting family history, his latest passion, he spent countless hours with genealogy and writing his autobiography. Sadly, his time was cut short and he was not able to complete this project. 

John had a special place in his heart for his long time and Riderwood friends. His sense of humor and inquisitive personality forged meaningful and treasured friendships.

John’s love of the arts included the National Symphony, theatre and ballet, along with the many works from a family of artists including visual arts from his wife Carol and son Dan, music from his son in law Steve and grandchildren Jesse, Ray, Madison and Spencer, along with dance performed by his granddaughter Madison and theatre by Ray. He shared his love of nature, history, and the outdoors with grandchildren Jessica, Joey and Spencer. 

Memorial Service Information:

Funeral Mass followed by a graveside service

Friday, November 14 at 1:00 pm

St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church - Chapel

11701 Clopper Road

Gaithersburg, MD 20878

Celebration of Life Gathering

Friday, November 14 at 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm

Botanero Restaurant

800 Pleasant Drive

Rockville, MD 20850

NOTE: If you can’t attend the Mass, please join us at Botanero’s. The event room has curbside access and a ramp to accommodate rollators.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a memorial contribution to Society of St. Vincent de Paul https://www.stjosephparish.org/146/st-vincent-de-paul.html in honor of John’s interest in eliminating poverty. 

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of John Henry Schumm, please visit our floral store.