Karl Bennett “Skip” Schlabach
January 14th, 1935 - April 22nd, 2022
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Skip's Obituary
Karl “Skip” Bennett Schlabach, 87, of Suttons Bay, MI, passed away on Friday, April 22, 2022. Arrangements have been entrusted to Starks & Menchinger Chapel – 2650 Niles Rd., St. Joseph, MI.
Karl was born on January 14, 1935 in Benton Harbor, MI to the late Karl and Mary (Bennett) Schlabach. He was a 1953 graduate of Benton Harbor High School. He furthered his education at Michigan State University receiving his Bachelor of Arts degree. While attending Michigan State he played trumpet in the marching band and majored in Hotel and Restaurant Management. Karl was a member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity. He was chosen by the U.S. Olympic Committee and Michigan State University Hotel School to be the Steward for the U.S. Olympic Team in Melbourne, Australia – 1956. Karl spent over 43 years in the food industry, including 36 years in both branded and private frozen foods. During these years he began his career with Greenfield Mills Restaurant Company (1959-1962.) He moved on to work for American Airlines as a Food Service Representative (1962-1966.) In 1966 he began his marketing and sales career with Nestle USA – Stouffer Foods until 1984. In 1984 he joined OverHill Farms Inc. to become Senior V.P. of Sales & Marketing. He retired from OverHill Farms Inc in 2013.
Karl is survived by his wife Judith (Blake), whom he married August 15, 1959; his two sons – Karl “Blake” (Lori) Schlabach of Indianapolis, IN and Christopher Scott (Beth) Schlabach of Lake Norman, NC; grandchildren – Emma, Evan, Ryan, Lauren (Alex) and Lindsay; brother and sister-in-law Vincent (Patricia) Blake of Spring Lake, MI; and cousins – Kathryn (Lloyd) MacTavish of St. Joseph, MI and Elizabeth Woods of Marquette, MI. Preceding Karl in death are his parents, Karl and Mary, mother and father-in-law, C.E. and Bonnie Blake, and a cousin, Ted Spanner.
A Celebration of Life Service will take place on Monday, May 2, 12:30pm, at the First Congregational United Church of Christ – 2001 Niles Ave., St. Joseph, MI, with Rev. Jeffrey Hubers officiating. Burial will follow at Riverview Cemetery in St. Joseph. Visitation with the family is on Sunday, at Starks & Menchinger Chapel, from 2:00-4:00pm.
Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice At Home – 2366 Oak Valley Dr., Ann Arbor, MI 48103 or to the First Congregational UCC. Friends wishing to leave the family a message of condolence may do so at www.starks-menchinger.com
Karl was born on January 14, 1935 in Benton Harbor, MI to the late Karl and Mary (Bennett) Schlabach. He was a 1953 graduate of Benton Harbor High School. He furthered his education at Michigan State University receiving his Bachelor of Arts degree. While attending Michigan State he played trumpet in the marching band and majored in Hotel and Restaurant Management. Karl was a member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity. He was chosen by the U.S. Olympic Committee and Michigan State University Hotel School to be the Steward for the U.S. Olympic Team in Melbourne, Australia – 1956. Karl spent over 43 years in the food industry, including 36 years in both branded and private frozen foods. During these years he began his career with Greenfield Mills Restaurant Company (1959-1962.) He moved on to work for American Airlines as a Food Service Representative (1962-1966.) In 1966 he began his marketing and sales career with Nestle USA – Stouffer Foods until 1984. In 1984 he joined OverHill Farms Inc. to become Senior V.P. of Sales & Marketing. He retired from OverHill Farms Inc in 2013.
Karl is survived by his wife Judith (Blake), whom he married August 15, 1959; his two sons – Karl “Blake” (Lori) Schlabach of Indianapolis, IN and Christopher Scott (Beth) Schlabach of Lake Norman, NC; grandchildren – Emma, Evan, Ryan, Lauren (Alex) and Lindsay; brother and sister-in-law Vincent (Patricia) Blake of Spring Lake, MI; and cousins – Kathryn (Lloyd) MacTavish of St. Joseph, MI and Elizabeth Woods of Marquette, MI. Preceding Karl in death are his parents, Karl and Mary, mother and father-in-law, C.E. and Bonnie Blake, and a cousin, Ted Spanner.
A Celebration of Life Service will take place on Monday, May 2, 12:30pm, at the First Congregational United Church of Christ – 2001 Niles Ave., St. Joseph, MI, with Rev. Jeffrey Hubers officiating. Burial will follow at Riverview Cemetery in St. Joseph. Visitation with the family is on Sunday, at Starks & Menchinger Chapel, from 2:00-4:00pm.
Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice At Home – 2366 Oak Valley Dr., Ann Arbor, MI 48103 or to the First Congregational UCC. Friends wishing to leave the family a message of condolence may do so at www.starks-menchinger.com
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