Obituary of Joseph Anthony Schaller

11/15/1950 - 2/21/2021

Rochester, New York - Joseph A. Schaller passed away on Sunday, February 21, 2021 at the age of 70. He is survived by his wife, Patricia (Niver) Schaller; his children, Renee (Mitch) Schaller, Joseph Schaller, Patricia (Cliff) Pittman, Michael Schaller, Toni (Christopher) Massar, Thomas (Jenna) Schaller, and Stefan Schaller; his brothers, Richard Schaller and Raymond Schaller; his nine grandchildren; along with many in-laws, nieces, and nephews. Joseph was pre-deceased by his parents Joseph and Mary Schaller.

Joe was a recently retired Senior Executive Assistant to the Foundation at Rochester General Hospital.  Prior to his professional career at Rochester General, he was the Assistant Director of Development for Jewish Family Services in Brooklyn NY. He spent much of his life in New York City, growing up in Brooklyn and cultivating his fondness for art, music, movies, baseball, and hockey.  He spent the majority of the 1980’s and 90’s in the hospitality industry, cooking and managing restaurants.  Joe was always at home in the kitchen. In 2007, Joe married Patty Niver after a brief courtship that involved many trips between Brooklyn and Rochester.  Joe served on the vestry and the capital campaign committee at Christ Church in Rochester.  He was also a veteran, who served in the Army during the Vietnam War from 1970 until 1976.  It was after the military that Joe, inspired by Jack Kerouac, took to the road and traveled across the United States. Although his work was never published, Joe remained a lifelong writer, and those who knew him enjoyed the stories and poems inspired by those years. He later became a father to seven children, and in 2008 his first grandchild was born.  Joe will be missed for his adventurous cooking, his passion for sports and opera, his ready smile and his booming laugh, but mostly for his willingness to help other people.  Over the years Joe has mentored countless friends and acquaintances in need of sound advice and caring guidance.

A service to remember Joe will be held at Christ Church Episcopal on East Avenue in Rochester, New York, on March 13^th at 1:00 p.m. In order to maintain compliance with COVID restrictions, attendance will be limited to family members. The service will also be livestreamed on YouTube. A link will be available at https://christchurchrochester.org/ shortly before 1:00 p.m. on March 13^th.  Joe's life will also be celebrated with his children and grandchildren on the beach in Jacksonville, Florida at the end of March. Leave a message for his family here.

In lieu of flowers, you may donate to the Christ Church Capital Campaign by clicking on the following link at https://christchurchrochester.org/index.php/capital-campaign/ .