Henry 'Hank' SchwalenstockerBorn: May 29, 1922
Died: July 25, 2023
Married: Catherine (Kay) O'Brien, 1943, in Massena, NY
Children: Seven, plus grandchildren and great-grandchildren
Henry Schwalenstocker and his wife Catherine (Kay) O'Brien Schwalenstocker lived in Saranac Lake for 29 years. They celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary on July 17, 2018. They met in Potsdam, New York, where both were attending college, and got married right after graduation. He was a World War II veteran, having served in the US Army; later he worked as a research chemist for DuPont in Rochester, New York, for 39 years. The couple raised seven children, coming to the Adirondacks to camp every summer. They retired to Saranac Lake in 1986 and were active volunteers in the community until moving to Canton in 2013.
Adirondack Daily Enterprise, August 5, 2023
Henry 'Hank' Schwalenstocker
Henry John “Hank” Schwalenstocker passed away peacefully on Tuesday, July 25, 2023, in Williamsburg, Virginia, at the age of 101.
Hank was a scientist, altruist, nature lover, ham radio operator, inventor, woodworker, history buff and avid photographer. A meticulous man who could fix anything, he was known for his logical advice, his integrity and his wickedly dry sense of humor. But more than anything else, he was a father — a devoted family man who spent all his free time with his wife and seven children.
Hank was born to Henry John Schwalenstocker, Sr., and Georgiana Wing Schwalenstocker in Attica, New York, on May 29, 1922. He earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Clarkson University in 1943. While in college, he met the love of his life, Catherine “Kay” O’Brien, and married her immediately after they both graduated. He served in the US Army in the European theater of World War II. He spent 40 years as a research chemist at DuPont in Rochester before retiring and moving to Saranac Lake, his and Kay’s “Shangri-La.”
Always deeply involved in his communities, Hank was an Elder of the First Presbyterian Church of Pittsford, a member of the American Radio Relay League and the Rochester Amateur Radio Association, a member of the Rochester Theater Organ Society, and the “Music Man” who provided soundtracks for Pittsford Musicals in the days before cast members did the singing. In Saranac Lake, he was a driving force in starting the local Habitat for Humanity chapter, a weekly volunteer at the Saranac Lake Free Library, a member of the Village Improvement Society, and a volunteer tax preparer for the elderly, as well as a daily participant in the Carrier Net group of ham radio operators.
A firm believer in education, Hank liked to say, “It’s a good day if you learn something new.” He explored innumerable science and natural history museums, historic sites, monuments, nature areas, state and national parks, and backroads with his family. He and Kay instilled in all their children a love of camping, hiking, paddling, traveling, reading and being outdoors, all of which have been handed down to later generations. They were proud to have raised a family that to this day enjoys spending time together, and they loved nothing more than visits from their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Right up to his last days, Hank was delighted to join weekly family video chats to see all of his children together.
Hank was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Kay, to whom he was married for 76 years. He will be greatly missed and lovingly remembered by his children, Anne (Jim) Klijanowicz, Tom (Gee), George (Julia), Ellen (Charles Perdue), Dave (Kelly), Nancy (Duane Booher) Rowe, and Martha (Joe) Kile, as well as by his grandchildren, Amy (Troy) Campbell, Daniel and Katarina Schwalenstocker, Emily and Annika Kile, Katherine (Eric) Kaye and Elizabeth (Steve) Skordinski, as well as his seven great-grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held in Saranac Lake at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to The Wild Center in Tupper Lake, or to the charity of your choice.
