Obituary of Charles Schlegel

Dr. Charles August “Doc” Schlegel, D.D.S. Charlie Schlegel passed away early on Wednesday, June 8, 2016 in the comfort of his family peacefully at home. He was 88. Born May 21, 1928, Charlie grew up in the Annex section of New Haven, Connecticut, son of Mary T. O’Halloran Schlegel and Charles A. Schlegel. He attended Hillhouse High School and joined the U.S. Army following his 1946 graduation, serving as a decorated Second Lieutenant in the First Cavalry, in the Allied Army of Occupation on Guam and Japan. After his discharge in 1949, he matriculated at Providence College, where he spent three memorable years in the company of young men who became lifelong friends, among them Richard Lederer and Edward Kennedy, where they sang in the Glee Club and enjoyed their educations fully. Upon graduating in 1953, he then attended the University of Maryland - Baltimore College School of Dentistry and returned to his home state to practice as a dentist in Hamden. In 1954, he married Margaret Ann (Peggy) Killeen, also of New Haven, and they began the nearly 62 wonderful years of married life that would bring them so much joy. They brought nine children into the world (listed below) and were well-known local figures in East Haven, where they lived beginning in 1960. Charlie was extremely active in community affairs in East Haven, in local government, nonprofit, and church work. He served the Town of East Haven as both an elected and appointed official for many years, serving in key school board, town finance, and library board positions. He was a central organizer of the annual AmeriCares Homefront volunteer home rebuilding effort. He was the first Parish Council President of St. Vincent de Paul Church in East Haven, and a Eucharistic Minister; and a longtime member of the St. Vincent de Paul School Board. He also served as Board President of the Archdiocese of Hartford’s Office of Urban Affairs, which created the Charlie Schlegel Award for Cooperative Parish Sharing in his honor. He served as Board Chair of the East Haven Land Trust; active in local politics, he was a stalwart Republican and spent over 50 years on the East Haven Republican Town Committee. In 2012 the East Haven Republican Party awarded him the inaugural Charles “Doc” Schlegel Distinguished Service Award. He was preceded in death by his parents and parents-in-law; his sisters, Jean Schlegel Hennessey and Margaret (Peggy) Schlegel McCoy; his beloved brothers-in-law Richard C. Lederer, Rev. John J. Killeen, and Rev. Bernard D. Killeen; and his son-in-law Robert Bensing. Charles is survived by his wife Margaret (Peg); his children: Mary; Kate See (Peter); Ann Kyrkostas (Theo); Margaret O’Keefe (Eric Schierholz); Charles A. Jr (Paula); Clare Joyner (Dale); Liz (Tom Stevens); John (Heather); and Thomas (Debbie). He leaves 16 beautiful grandchildren: Eli, Patrick (Jana) and Jim See; Samantha (Billy Joe Mills) and Calvin Kyrkostas; Conor and Abigail O’Keefe; Killeen, Margaret and Stephen Schlegel; Kate, August and Cormac Stevens; Olivia, Anna and Joseph Schlegel. He also leaves his much-loved sister-in-law Elizabeth Killeen Lederer and many nieces, nephews and godchildren, who knew him as Uncle Charlie, Uncle Buddy, and Dockie. Family will receive friends from 5 to 8 PM TODAY, June 9, 2016 at the Clancy-Palumbo Funeral Home (Clancy Funeral Home), 43 Kirkham Ave., East Haven. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Friday, June 10 at 10 AM in St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church, Taylor Ave., East Haven with Committal to follow at All Saints Cemetery in North Haven with military honor. He shared with his family his deep appreciation of words, music, laughter, and the love of the Lord; and in his honor, we hope that you, too, will seize every opportunity to appreciate the grace and beauty that fill your life, as he did every day. God is good.