Mr. Kearn Charles Schemm Jr., of Cape Charles, passed away on Jan. 20, 2021, at the age of 72, another soul lost to cancer.
Kearn was born June 22, 1948, the third child of Catharine (Gilbert) and Kearn Schemm Sr. He passed his happy childhood in Nutley, N.J., and graduated from Nutley High School in 1966. A life-long historian, Kearn earned his B.A. in history and anthropology from Upsala College in East Orange, N.J. Thereafter, he received a scholarship to attend Seton Hall Law School in Newark, N.J., graduating in 1977.
After being admitted to the bar, he formed his own law firm in Union, N.J. – Schemm & Fitzgibbon. Kearn was a trial lawyer in New Jersey for many years before relocating to Vienna, Austria, where he met and married Eva Maria Bartl. He was a freelance journalist in Austria, covering many issues of the day, including the Bosnian War. He was a talented communicator, making friends wherever he went while honing his gift for languages, especially German. His linguistic skills led him to a position with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), where he taught English to Eastern European refugees and assisted with their relocation, mostly to the USA and Australia. In the mid-1990s, he returned to the United States and began his final career at the U.S. State Department. There, his duties included monitoring sensitive communiqués and translating them from Russian to English.
He loved the outdoors, bike riding, hiking, and especially swimming in the Chesapeake Bay. He fell in love with Cape Charles while vacationing, and decided that the slower pace of the Eastern Shore fit his personality. He looked around and found a home just one block from the beach, to which he retired and happily passed his golden years. He swam in the bay every day of the summer. Although he was a “come here,” he made more friends and memories in Cape Charles than many native-born citizens of the town. He was a familiar sight walking the beach daily with his dog, Duke, who has found a new home in New Jersey with Kearn’s favorite (and only) niece, Mireille Alfano, and her husband, Allen.
He is also survived by three children, Andrew Huber (Amy), Freya Frost (Patrick), and Saskja Schemm. They were a source of support throughout his ordeal, and he loved them with all his heart. Freya earned her angel wings as she cared for him day and night. His four grandchildren, Richard Huber, Isla Frost, Finn (his best buddy), and Siglinn Schemm, will miss playing games and laughing with him. He also leaves his brother and sister-in-law, David and Liz Schemm; his sister, Kathleen Bahri; and his four nephews, Steven (Angie), Keith (Suzanne), Kevin (Julia), and his help-mate, Adam Bahri, who weekly traveled many miles to assist in his uncle’s care through his final weeks.
