Abe Schestopol

Memorial services will be held at 11 a.m., Wednesday, January 8, 2014 at Culley’s Riggins Road Chapel, Tallahassee, Florida. Private interment will follow later at Arlington National Cemetery, in Arlington, Virginia. Born in Linden, New Jersey, November 18, 1916, Mr. Schestopol was reared in New York City and was an alumnus of Harvard College (class of 1949) and Harvard Law School (class of 1950). He joined the Army Air Corps, predecessor to the U.S. Air Force, in 1941. After retirement from the service as a Lt. Colonel in 1975 from Norton Air Force Base in California, he settled in Tallahassee in 1976. He was a combat veteran and served his country in three wars: World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam.

As a Navigator, he flew 59 combat missions in WW II, and for exemplary service he was awarded the Silver Star, the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal. In addition to his flying combat, Abe also ‘flew a desk’ during his 28 years of active service and his 6 years of reserve status. He served as Personnel Officer assigned to NATO in Oslo, Norway. From a Chinese base in Taichung, Taiwan, he flew combat missions to Vietnam. He was then transferred to Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines and assigned to the Maintenance Support Squadron. Active in politics, he was Chairman of the Jimmy Carter presidential campaign in Leon County in 1976, and Chairman of the successful Bob Graham re-election campaign in Leon County in 1982. He also served on the Governor’s Inauguration Committee. In 1988, he ran unsuccessfully as a candidate for the Tallahassee City Commission. He was a member of several Boards and Committees in Leon County including that of the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA), the Tallahassee Senior Center, the Tallahassee VA Outpatient Clinic Volunteer Advisory Board, the City of Tallahassee’s Audit Committee, and the State Board of Common Cause. Abe Schestopol was the Retired Officers Association (ROA) Satellite from Tyndall Air Force Base, and received the Volunteer of the Year Award for his dedicated service. Always active in retirement, Abe was a member of many local organizations, among them the Capital Tiger Bay Club, Capital City Toastmasters, Democratic Women’s Club (Abe was the first male member!) the Tallahassee Peace Coalition and a founding member of Pax Christi, Tallahassee. He was a charter member of the Democratic Club of North Florida and wrote the by-laws for that organization. Abe was a charter contributor to the Steele-Collins foundation, and participated as an active member. Abe was a frequent contributor to the editorial pages of the Tallahassee Democrat on a wide range of subjects. Abe’s contributions and volunteerism for civic organizations and community led to high respect from numerous sources. Nearly 100 friends, well-wishers and relatives attended the big “Champagne Skate-In” Birthday Bash honoring Abe’s 80th birthday in November 1996, in Tallahassee. Guests were entertained with an hour of champagne and open roller-skating, one of Abe’s many talents. He instituted a seminar on Mutual Funds accredited by both the Florida Bar and the Florida State Board of Accountancy for their respective members. A version of this seminar was also a regular feature of Florida State University’s Center for Participant Education each semester. Abe Schestopol is survived by his wife, Madee Hollis Schestopol, of Tallahassee; a son, B. Michael Schestopol, (Sarah) of Seattle, Washington; a son Peter Schestopol, (Donna) of Atlanta; a daughter, Susan Schestopol, of Seattle, Washington; three grandchildren, Marc Schestopol (Tisha), Ben Schestopol (Alison), Jennifer Schestopol, and five great-grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Big Bend Hospice, Tallahassee, Florida.