Carl Joseph Schwab, Jr.
April 16, 1943 ~ January 18, 2019
Carl Joseph Schwab, Junior (Age 75) of Reston, Virginia, passed away peacefully on Friday, January 18th, 2019 from complications of a heart attack. He was born in Byrn Mawr Pennsylvania on April 16th, 1943 and was graduated from La Salle High School, Philadelphia. He held a BS in physics and a JD from Villanova University. A dedicated career public servant, working for the US Patent Office, NASA, and the CIA, he was awarded the Career Intelligence Medal in 2002. The Career Intelligence Medal is awarded by the Central Intelligence Agency for a cumulative record of service which reflects exceptional achievements that substantially contributed to the mission of the Agency.
He spent a lifetime doing what he loved, both professionally and personally. He was a loving and supportive father, who worked to give his sons advantages to enhance their lives. An avid gardener, he spent many pleasurable hours working on his lawn and vegetable garden. He lived independently until the end. It was a good life and a life he could be proud of. He is survived by his sons Carl Joseph Schwab III, and Benjamin Arthur Schwab, and siblings Clare Schwab Flocco, Christine Schwab, and Mark Schwab. A funeral mass will be held at St. John Neumann Catholic Church in Reston, Virginia on February 13th at 11:00 AM.
He spent a lifetime doing what he loved, both professionally and personally. He was a loving and supportive father, who worked to give his sons advantages to enhance their lives. An avid gardener, he spent many pleasurable hours working on his lawn and vegetable garden. He lived independently until the end. It was a good life and a life he could be proud of. He is survived by his sons Carl Joseph Schwab III, and Benjamin Arthur Schwab, and siblings Clare Schwab Flocco, Christine Schwab, and Mark Schwab. A funeral mass will be held at St. John Neumann Catholic Church in Reston, Virginia on February 13th at 11:00 AM.
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Dad spend a lifetime doing things he loved doing. He loved his work and he did exactly what he wanted to do in and outside of work. He made a name for himself in international information security circles and was incredibly dedicated to his job. He was a lifetime Rolling Stones fan and made most of their American tours. He had one of the best, if not the best, lawns in Reston for several years and worked hard at his gardens. To the end of his life he would charm those he talked to. He made it out to North Wildwood at-least once every single year of his life.
Dad enjoyed life right up to the end. He was working up to the last 5 years of his life. He was driving himself up to the last 3 months of his life. He never had to give up drinking. He stayed in his home of (I think) for then 40 years until the end. These are all things I think he would have liked. I don’t think he wanted to go but I think he would have appreciated how quickly he went and that he didn’t spend a lot of time dependent on others.
I don’t want to speak for my brother but he provided a great amount of help to me. I wouldn’t be the person I am today without my father and since I like who I am, I… I have a debt to him that I cannot express in words. He could be very frugal for himself but he was quite generous with those he cared about. He also clearly took pride in my successes. Not everybody is able to achieve so many of the things that dad tried to achieve.
Dad lived a good life. Dad lived a life he would be proud of. He went peacefully and in a manner I think he would have preferred. Dad’s legacy will clearly live on in my brother and myself. He tried his best and lived by his principles. I don’t know what else there is to say.
Benjamin Arthur Schwab, younger son
I had the great privilege of working both with and for Carl. He was extremely dedicated to his work and to his country. Carl was a leader of information security. He was well respected and tried to do what was most right in all things. Carl inspired me both professionally and personally. I owe a ton of gratitude to him for his mentoring. I followed in his footsteps and carried the torch of doing what was right within the information security rhelm. Carl had an interesting sense of humor and you either loved him or hated him. I resonated with his style and miss being around him. To echo his son Ben’s words, carl loved his gardens and his lawn. He used to refer to gardening as “full contact gardening”. As proud as he was of those interests he was even more proud of his sons achievements. I told Ben the other night that Carl once gave his employees a homework assignment to watch Ben on It’s Academic. I always felt as though I knew both his sons well as Carl talked to me a great deal about them. Ben also mentioned Wildwood NJ, Carl went there every year, he nearly missed going one year and made a day trip to keep the tradition alive. He was a man of strong convictions in all aspects of his life, personally and spiritually. Rest In Peace my friend, you will be missed.
A memorial tree was planted in memory of the decedent.
Pete, hi. I worked with Carl at the Agency, but I am racking my brain as to the office specifically. I was an editor and believe I published some of his pieces. He always had a funny grin for me and I enjoyed his professional company. I hope to make the service next week. Joanne Richcreek, Fairfax.
A memorial tree was planted in memory of the decedent.
I was very sad to hear on the passing of Carl. Carl was a very smart, intelligent guy with a very good sense of humor. As Pete said in his eloquent tribute you “either loved him or hated him”. Carl could be that person you read about in the Readers Digest article titled “The most unforgettable person I ever met” Carl is that person. As a co-worker with Carl I can remember many conversations we had when he made you think about the subject of our conversation. Yes, Carl will always be that character that you will always remember. So to the Carl Schwab family my sincerest condolences and thank you for bringing Carl into my life.
A memorial tree was planted in memory of the decedent.
I’m saddened to hear of Carl’s passing. When I first met Carl at work he was bigger than life and his passion for the security of our country was clearly his path. Carl – Thrifty, unique, intelligent, dedicated, loyal and a true patriot. Condolences to his two sons, family and friends. Sharing pics from work and celebrations.
A memorial tree was planted in memory of the decedent.
To Carl’s sons and family – so sorry to hear the news of Carl’s passing . He was a wonderful and trustworthy friend and work colleague! The Wash. Post picture is just how I want to remember him. Early in my and his career at the Agency, he helped our office build and maintain an important data base used to track Soviet defense activities. He soon joined me a on an Agency softball team, the Ravens, a team that I managed. He was an enthusiastic and dependable player, and we had a great time playing ‘ball together. He and I liked cars, and I helped him maintain his ’68 T-Bird and I restored a ’66 Mustang for him many years ago. My family and I are so sorry he is gone so soon. He was an important part of my life and that of his many friends at the Agency. He will be greatly missed. RIP
Paul A. Welsh, Jr.
A memorial tree was planted in memory of the decedent.
“To thine own self be true.” If ever anyone lived by that dictum, it was my brother Carl. His colleagues have recalled his mentoring. An ability and willingness to teach was innate to him. What do you want most as a teenager? Your driver’s license! He spent hours with me in a big, old, ’52 Ford, practicing parallel parking, and most of all, on the steep hills of Conshohocken, how to not slide backwards in a stick shift. The following year what I wanted most was a good grade in trigonometry to get into a good college. It was elusive until I asked Carl for help. He tutored me to understand the math, not to just memorize whole segments of the book. Although we did not speak often in our later years, I knew he was there. As he said, ” Family is who has to answer if you call.” His loss is a missing piece in my life. My brother was his own person – always. Here’s to his life well lived. Christine
A memorial tree was planted in memory of the decedent.