Garritt Vander Schaaf Sr.

Rev. Garritt Vander Schaaf, Sr. went home to be with his Lord.  A longtime resident of Circleville, NY, he was born in Uithuizen, Netherlands to the late Wiebrand and Johanna (Oomen) Vander Schaaf.  He was married to Joan (June) Zwart for 54 years.  He was a member of the Circleville Presbyterian Church in Circleville, NY and a lifetime member of the Circleville Fire Company.  Garritt lived a full life.  In his earlier years he owned a farm on VanBurenville Road, was employed by the NYS Correctional Facility in Otisville, and owned Circle Electric Co. in Circleville, NY.  He later moved to Walton, NY in Delaware County to become a safety inspector with the NY Board of Fire Underwriters.  While in Walton, he was a member of the Walton Fire Department and served on the Delhi Tech and BOCES Advisory Board and the Walton School Board.  He was ordained as an evangelist/pastor by Huntington College in Huntington, IN.  After retiring in 1986, he and June moved to Florida for eight years and then returned to Circleville in 1994.  Garritt was a founding member of the Town of Wallkill Historical Society and a member of the Town of Wallkill Seniors.

He is survived by his wife, June; son, Garritt (Gary) Vander Schaaf, Jr. and his wife, Jan; daughters Barbara Eason and her husband, Ernie, Faye Dolson, Valerie Harrison and her husband, Dan, JoAnn Cucciarre and her husband, Jeff; sister, Grace Wronowski; fourteen grandchildren; and several great grandchildren, great-great grandchildren, nephews and nieces.  He will be missed by his beloved dog, Katie.

He was predeceased by his brother, Nicholas.

Cremation will be followed by a Memorial Service at Circleville Evangelical Presbyterian Church, 890 Goshen Turnpike, Circleville, NY at 12 pm on Saturday, March 18.  Services will be officiated by Pastor Brian Hill and Rev. Mason Whitley.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Garritt’s name to Circleville Presbyterian Church, PO Box 141, Circleville, NY 10919 or to Circleville Fire Company, PO Box 292, Circleville, NY 10919.

Funeral arrangements are under the care of Cornelius, Dodd and Connell Funeral Home, Middletown, NY. To send a condolence to the family please visit www.connellfuneralhome.com

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