John "Jack" Schuvart

John “Jack” Augustine Schuvart, age 89, passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by his loving family on Good Friday, April 10, 2020 in Westfield, New Jersey. He was a kind man with a generous heart and easygoing nature.

Jack was born in Union, New Jersey on December 18, 1930, to John and Dorothy Schuvart. He attended Purdue University where he received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering. While at Purdue, Jack was a member of the Alpha Chi Rho Fraternity, the Crew Team, the Arnold Air Society (AFROTC) and the Newman Club.  

On May 15, 1955, he married Genevieve Crilly of Linden, New Jersey. Newly married, they moved to Delaware where Jack served as a First Lieutenant in the US Air Force while maintaining three squadrons of C-124 Globemaster Aircrafts at Dover Air Force Base. In 1956, Jack went to work for Esso (Exxon) and moved back to New Jersey. Early in his career at Exxon Research and Engineering, Jack invented and patented a commercialized oil injector used on blast furnaces that became the standard worldwide. Jack held a variety of positions and responsibilities within Exxon Engineering in Product Research, Project Management and Contracts Engineering. Jack’s career at Exxon spanned thirty years encompassing numerous projects all over the world. On some of his longer assignments, Genevieve and his children were able to accompany him; they lived in Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands. They embraced these opportunities and enjoyed meeting new people, visiting interesting places and experiencing different cultures. Jack also accepted long term assignments in Finland, England, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand and Saudi Arabia. Upon retiring from Exxon in 1986, Jack began his own consulting company working with companies such as Glaxo Pharmaceuticals and on regional projects including the clean-up of New York Harbor. 

Jack was a devout Catholic, a Eucharistic Minister, and one of the co-founders of the Perpetual Adoration Chapel at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Mountainside, New Jersey. His faith was a large part of who he was and it brought him great strength and comfort.

He volunteered at Center For Hope Hospice where he sat on the Board of Trustees and lent his expertise in contracts and management to oversee renovations and construction of both the Elizabeth and Scotch Plains locations. In 1997, he was recognized by the Center for Hope Hospice and presented the Ray Russo Award, given to those who have demonstrated exemplary service within their community. After retiring from the Board of Trustees, he continued to serve as Trustee Emeritus for many years.

Jack was a lifelong craftsman and could build just about anything. Interests near to his heart included building boats, restoring classic cars, and crafting both furniture and art for his family and church. He loved the outdoors and especially enjoyed gardening and camping. He was always ready for tractor rides whenever his grandchildren visited.  

Jack was a devoted family man. He taught his children life skills but more importantly, taught them about kindness, integrity and loyalty. As his family grew to five children so did Jack’s involvement in his children’s activities. He volunteered with Boy Scouts becoming a Scout Leader and then Scoutmaster. Jack was a soccer coach and spearheaded the first Westfield Cup Soccer Tournament. He was always willing to lend a helping hand and when his children were grown, he worked on designing and building additions on their own homes.  

Jack was preceded in death by his parents and his two sisters, Dolores Bersen and Wanda Scholl. He is survived by his loving wife of 64 years, Genevieve, his five children, Bruce Schuvart, Brian Schuvart (Liz), Kathleen Nagle (Michael M.), Michael Schuvart and Maria Kenny (Joe) and by his nine grandchildren, Julia, Sam, Diana, Emily, Gabrielle, Keenan, Jacob, Ryan and Brendan.

Jack’s family would like to thank the wonderful nurses, caregivers, and associates at Atlantic Home Care and Hospice, who helped Jack on his final journey. 

A Memorial Mass to celebrate Jack’s life will be announced at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Jack’s memory to: Our Lady of Lourdes Church, 300 Central Avenue, Mountainside, NJ 07092 or to The Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, 322 8th Avenue, 7th floor, New York, NY 10001 https://alzfdn.org/support-us/donate/.  

The goal isn’t to live forever, the goal is to create something that will...

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