SAUK VILLAGE | Anthony and Rose (Reichert) Schaller were a young couple in the 1910s and built a farm south of Vincent Sauter’s farm, one of Sauk Village’s first settlers. The Schaller farm was located on what is now the Northeast corner of Sauk Trail and Mark Collins Drive (formerly Woodlawn Avenue). The Schaller’s had 4 children, 1 boy Agustin “Gus” Anthony and three girl Kay, Dorothy and Ruth. Gus being the only son, he helped his father farm the land according to his daughter Marge Muellner.
Gus Schaller also attended District 168 Strassburg School,
but it was not the modern marvel it is today.
Back in the 1920s, the school was a one room wood frame structure which
was located next to the old St. James Church at the Northeast corner of Sauk
Trail and Illinois Route 394. Gus
Schaller’s father served on the School Board for over 40 years and was
instrumental in consolidating District 168 with 173 to form Community
Consolidated School District 168 following a fire in the 1940s that destroyed
Strassburg School. “We had 11 kids in
that school.” Schaller remembered.
Agustin “Gus” Anthony Schaller celebrated his 100th
birthday on May 16th.
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| Fathers Krolczak & Conde Concelebrated Mass |
The St. James
Catholic Church Community and the family and friends of Agustin “Gus” Schaller came
together Saturday evening to celebrate Gus becoming a “centurion”. Schaller was joined in the church by his 98
year old sister Kay Wysock of Chicago Heights.
A Mass was held at 5pm and a reception followed in Didier Hall with
about 150 family and friends. Reverend
David Krolczak, Pastor of St. James Church celebrated Mass and former Pastor
Thomas Conde concelebrated the Mass.
Reverend David Simonetti, Associate Pastor also was on hand to present
Schaller with an Apostolic Papal Blessing from Pope Francis, to which
Schaller’s emotions got the best of him.
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| Father Dave Simonetti presents the Apostolic Papal Blessing |
Krolzak talked about Schaller, who has attended Mass every
day and discussed the history of the faith community which Schaller has been a
member. “He has volunteered for so many
years. He is one of the oldest Alter
boys in the Archdiocese” Krolczak quipped, his comments eliciting laughs from
the congregation.
Schaller was married to the late Rose Mary (nee Schulte) of
Dyer, Indiana who sadly passed away in 2002.
Schaller has four children Ruth (Tom) Nast of Downers Grove, Illinois;
Jerry (Lil) Schaller of Ely Minnesota; Marge (the late John) Mullner of Eugene,
Oregon and Marty Schaller of Ely Minnesota.
Family members and friend joined Schaller in Didier Hall
where he was treated to incredible reception in his honor. Many historic pictures of Schaller were on
display. Schaller bore witness to many
historic changes when the area originally called Strassburg transformed from
nothing but farms to a suburban neighborhood.
Where Schaller’s property once was, the Logisticenter at Sauk Village
now has risen.
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| Gus Schaller receives the framed Apostolic Papal Blessing from Father Dave Simonetti |
Don’t think that this young man is lost in a fog. I spent some time with him his mind is as
sharp as a tack, he has an incredible wit and he just recently passed his
annual drivers license test too. Yes he
has his Illinois driver’s license. Schaller
currently lives in Crete, but Sauk Village is still his hometown, even though
it never existed long before he was around, and he’s been around the entire
time.
God bless you Gus!
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