Obituary of Albert N. Schell, Jr.
Albert N. Schell, Jr., born on March 29, 1933, passed away peacefully on February 8, 2025, at his residence in Ridgefield, CT. He was 91 years old.
In addition to his beloved wife of almost 61 years, Dinah Buckhout Schell, Al is survived by his daughter, Elizabeth Ann (Betsy) Garti, her husband Christopher James, their children Caroline Mary and Griffin Albert, his son James Albert Schell, his wife Jacqueline Beth, and their children, Henry James, Greyson Theodore and Charles William. He was pre-deceased by his oldest son Richard Stanton Schell, who, with his wife Christiane, had a son Spencer Mead Schell (and wife Kait) and a daughter Jillian Magee Schell.
Al was born in Aliquippa, PA, to Albert N. Schell, Sr., and his wife Ruth Keck Schell. He was one of six children and pre-deceased by his older brothers James and William Schell, and sister Mary Musgrave, and has two younger sisters, Suzanne Urda, of Blue Bell, PA and Carol Collins of Port Townsend, WA.
Affectionately known as Uncle Bud, Pop-Pop and Big Guy, Al attended Hopewell High School and graduated from Mercersburg Academy in Mercersburg, PA, which he attended on a full scholarship. He then went on to Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University) in Pittsburgh, PA, where he earned a Civil Engineering degree and was a starting member of the Varsity football team. Following his college graduation, he served our country as a naval officer and pilot, stationed in Sanford, FL and on the USS Randolph in the Mediterranean Sea. Following his honorable discharge, he took a job in the tri-state area working as a salesman for Armco, where he met Dinah Buckhout, and after 3 months, they married on May 16, 1964, at Whippoorwill Country Club in Armonk, NY. Last year, they returned to the club to celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary.
Al lived a wonderfully full life. He and his wife, Dinah, raised their 3 children in Katonah and Waccabuc, NY. They enjoyed travelling to their vacation home on Lake Rescue in Ludlow, VT where they skied, went boating, gathered for lobster nights and told ghost stories on the lake with family and friends, dating back to1962. He and his wife also had the good fortune of building homes in Charlestown, Rhode Island and then Grantham, New Hampshire, and purchased a home on Sanibel Island, Florida when they retired, becoming “snowbirds”.
Al served several years as a board member at the Village Savings Bank, was active in the Katonah Rotary Club, housing 2 foreign exchange students for a time, and supported both Katonah and South Salem’s Presbyterian Church. His work career, after 40 active years as President of Fair-Chester Builders, Inc. in Pleasantville, NY, ended in 1997 when he retired. Al enjoyed golfing, fly-fishing, hunting, vegetable gardening, travelling, and flying his plane while in Florida. One year, he flew Dinah and their two small dogs from Florida to New Hampshire, only to hear from his wife following that trip, “Never again, Albert!”
Al will always be known for his hard work ethic, kind-heartedness, vigor, humility, and generosity. He was truly a gentle giant to all who knew him. May he rest in peace eternally.
A celebration of his life will be held on Sunday, March 30th, 2025, at the First Presbyterian Church of Katonah, 31 Bedford Road, Katonah, 10536, at 2:00 pm. Navy Military Honors will be presented after the service.
Memorial Contributions may be made to the Michael J. Fox Parkinson’s Foundation.
