Caleb Schaber

Caleb David Schaber was born March 23, 1973 in Niles, Michigan, and he passed away in Gerlach, Nevada April 17, 2009. Caleb lived in Benton Harbor until 1985; he attended school at the Gifted and Talented Academy in Fairplain. After attending the Buchanan School System through 1989, Caleb enrolled at Lake Michigan College when he was sixteen years old. Caleb graduated Lake Michigan College in 1991 and, he then transferred to the University of Washington in Seattle. Caleb graduated from the University of Washington in 2003, with an anthropology major and a minor in art. January 1, 2001 Caleb became known as “the monolith man” when he created a copy Kubrick’s monolith in the film “Space Odyssey 2001” and Caleb’s monolith suddenly appeared in a Seattle Public Park in 2001; articles and photos were internationally published of Caleb and his monolith. Most recently, Caleb was working on finalizing a book that he was writing about the previous two years that he had spent in Afghanistan and the Iraq war. Part of the past two years, Caleb had been embedded with the Nevada National Guard. All during this time, Caleb continued with his passion for painting portrait studies, writing blogs, and creating videos. Over the past ten years Caleb was an active member of the “Burning Man” group of international artists that gather annually at the end of August, in the Black Rock Desert, Nevada to celebrate a ritual of renewal through artistic expression. Caleb is survived by his father Ken Schaber, his mother Julie Hurst, his Aunt Wanda Middlebrook, and his Uncle Charles. An informal gathering to remember Caleb’s life will be held on May 16, 2009 at 1:00 pm at the Swem Funeral Home, Buchanan. A Scholarship in Caleb’s name for study in the Visual Arts is being established at Lake Michigan College. Donations for this LMC scholarship in art may be sent to Mr. Ken Schaber, 3457 Little Glendora Rd., Buchanan, MI, 49107. Friends may visit the online guestbook at www.swemfuneralhome.com.