- Date Of Birth: December 12, 1949
- Date Of Death: March 4, 2021
- State: Connecticut
Richard Schaller II, passed away on March 4, 2021 at Hartford Hospital. He was born December 12th 1949 and grew up in Newington. He was the beloved husband of fifty years to his high school sweetheart Kathy (Fontana) Schaller who he met at St. Mary’s School. Rich was a 1967 graduate of Newington High School and a 1971 graduate of Fairfield University. After college, Rich went right into the family business, Schaller Tire. In 1985, Rich and his brother Greg bought the business from their father and it became Connecticut Tire. Rich took tremendous pride in the business and loved to talk to friends as they waited to get a new set of tires put on their car. Rich, his father, and Greg also owned Hadfield’s Sport Shop in Berlin from 1986 to 1996, but nothing ever took the place of the “Tire Department” as they called it. Rich and Kathy enjoyed many years of traveling the world on Cooper Tire trips with Greg and Nancy. Rich also enjoyed fishing with his brother Greg in the Northeast Canyons and the Bahamas on their boat(s), the Reel Teaser. He also loved to hang out at the Niantic Dockominiums with Bob Firmin. He enjoyed playing Setback with Wes on the boat or with Rick at work. As the years went on, Rich was his happiest being with his grandchildren, Olivia, Bryce, Chase, and Addison. He would come home from work to see them if they were over, or do a “quick stop over” at Scott or Heather’s to see them. He loved to show people pictures of them on his phone or on his desk. He relished in the opportunity to take them to Disney, Hershey Park, and out to dinner at Chuck’s. He never needed or wanted gifts, but would be so excited every year when he got a new calendar filled with pictures of the grandkids. Rich will be remembered for his generosity and care for others. Rich loved seeing other people happy; enjoying themselves on a vacation, out to dinner, or on the boat. He always worried about his family, his friends and his employees. When others were happy, Rich was happy. In addition to his loving wife Kathy, Richard leaves his children; Scott and daughter in law Tammy of Cromwell, Heather Wenzel, and son in law Derek of Rocky Hill; his brother Greg Schaller and his wife Nancy of Waterford, his sister Sandra Petela and her husband Greg of Wallingford, and sisters Audrey Schaller and Joanne Schaller of Durham, his sister in law Donna Guttmann and brother in law Perry of Berlin, as well as several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his mother and father, Richard and Audrey Schaller, as well as his brother Gus. Relatives and friends are invited to call on Thursday, March 11th from 4-7 p.m. at Duksa Family Funeral Homes at Newington Memorial, 20 Bonair Ave. in Newington. Masks are required and all safety protocols will be enforced. A live streamed service will be available beginning at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday. To view the live stream or to share a memory with Rich’s family, please visit www.duksa.net. The livestream can be found on Mr. Schaller’s obituary page. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the American Diabetes Association at www.diabetes.org/donate.To view Richard’s memorial tribute video please go to the Tribute Wall and click on his picture.
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