|
| Roderick Edward Schoenlank Published/Last Modified on Wednesday, July 8, 2009 1:05 PM PDT Roderick Edward Schoenlank of Pillar Point Harbor died on June 26, 2009, of congestive heart failure at the Palo Alto Veterans Hospital. His death came less than a week before his eighty-eighth birthday. He was a well-known and well-loved figure on the coast, where he lived for more than twenty years aboard his boat, the Lao Tzu, named for the Taoist Chinese writer of the 6th century B.C. Mr. Schoenlank was born on July 2, 1921, in Linden, New Jersey, to Edward G. Schoenlank and Irene Hecker Schoenlank. He was a highly decorated lieutenant in the U.S. Army. He served in WWII, and was stationed for several years in Germany as a public information officer. After returning to the States, he lived in Muskegon, Michigan, and Granite City, Illinois. He served as president of Westran Steel in Muskegon, and was a founding member of the United Way. He was a longtime member of Mensa International and a Director of the Granite City Chamber of Commerce, which under his tenure was awarded “Model City USA” status. There were other jobs as well: Mr. Schoenlank worked as an industrial psychologist for a company that made food for zoos, and worked in radio in New Jersey and California. Following a heart attack what Mr. Schoenlank described as a “heart experience” at the age of fifty, his life took a dramatic turn. He took up travel and woodcarving, finally arriving in Half Moon Bay in 1987. He he was proud of his military service, but his bearing was anything but military: He favored tie-dye or purple, the ensemble topped with a crocheted skullcap. Over the years Mr. Schoenlank built a web of connections to the community around him. He performed weddings and commitment ceremonies, presiding over countless celebrations. Each holiday season he would collect scores of stuffed animals on the deck of Lao Tzu and decorate the rigging with lights. When children stopped to marvel at the animals, he’d invite them to take one, telling each to “go and find the one that talks to you.” With his long white hair and beard he made a convincing Santa, and many children left certain they’d met the genuine article. He was the wise man of the harbor, a first-rate listener and a counselor to many, with a gift for seeing worth in everyone. Anywhere he went he became a hub, drawing people together, as much among the liveaboards at the harbor as in his habitual morning coffee klatch. Mr. Schoenlank is survived by his sons, Rod Jr. and Fred; grandson James Monroe; and niece Susan Burford. He is predeceased by his brother, Gus Schoenlank, and former wife Polly Schoenlank. A gathering will be held at the Princeton American Legion Post 474 at 470 Capistrano Road in Princeton on July 12 at 1 PM. The event is a potluck. The Legion can be reached at 650-728-9224 or 650-563-9209. Call Christopher Cowen at 650-728-1018 for additional information. Mr. Schoenlank was a magnetic and powerful personality, forever enraptured at the “awesome uniqueness” he saw in everyone around him, always eager to stir in others his own joy and wonder at life. He leaves the world richer and more colorful than he found it. |