John Horace "Hawky" Schreiber

RICHMOND, Ind. – John Horace “Hawky” Schreiber passed away on July 18, 2013. John was born to Joseph and Frances (Bierman) Schreiber in the Brooklyn Borough of New York City, New York, on December 28, 1922. As a child, “Hawky” used to collect mercury from old electrical switches and sell the mercury back to electrical manufacturers. He saved his money to buy a Harley Davidson, upon which he toured much of America and at least one living room in Massachusetts. John joined the Marines in 1942, and served in the South Pacific during the Mariana Islands Campaign in 1944. Along Highway 1 on the Island of Guam, to this day, are remnants of rock retaining walls that Japanese Prisoners of War hand built under the watchful eye of Private Schreiber. These walls stabilized monsoon soaked cliffs enough to enable reliable logistics transfers from Agat Bay in the south to the Northwest Airfield Complex near Ritidian Point in the north. This was a critical lifeline for the South Pacific Theater of 1944 – 1945. After the war, John returned to Indiana and married Evelyn (Jackie to her close friends) Waterman (who passed away in 1999) and began raising his family in the Berry Field subdivision of Richmond. John was a member of the Optimist Club and assisted with several soap box derbies in the late 50’s and early 60’s. He also obtained his commercial pilot’s license and flew out of local airfields, many of which no longer exist, including the grass field on the eastern edge of Richmond. During this time, “Plastics” was the cutting edge technology and John was an in demand salesman for this new wonder product. The Schreiber family moved several times, as the plastics industry demanded John in new hotspots every three years. John ultimately retired from Mobil Corporation after many years and selling millions of tons of ABS plastic to the aviation, automobile, sports and other industries. He was later married to MaryAnn Valdois, who passed away in 2010. John became a skilled woodworker, a prolific author of amusing rhythmic tales, and a passionate golfer over time. He had the mind of an engineer, the eye of an artist, and the heart of a poet. John was greatly loved and will be missed by all whose lives he entered. Semper Fi, Marine, you can stand at ease! He is survived by his children, Carol, Mary, Jon, Susan, Pat, Missy, Tina, and Suzette and a lot of grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Visitation for John Schreiber will be from noon to 2:00 p.m. Tuesday, July 23, 2013, at Doan & Mills Funeral Home, 790 National Road West, Richmond. Funeral service will follow at 2:00 p.m., Tuesday, July 23, 2013, at Doan & Mills Funeral Home. Burial will be in St. Andrew Cemetery with military honors provided by the Wayne County Honor Guard. Condolences may be sent to the family via the guest book at www.doanmillsfuneralhome.com.

John Horace "Hawky" Schreiber

December 28, 1922 - July 18, 2013