Michael Schonberg

Michael Schonberg of Hickory lived a life rich with blessings. He came to America as a child, where he found freedom and opportunity, and the love of his life, Katie. They made their home in North Carolina, raised two sons and doted on their grandchildren and great-grandchildren, six of each.

He wrote poetry, listened to classical music and found peace in the majesty of the mountains. In his final months, he admired the hummingbirds that flocked to the feeder outside his window.

Grateful until the end, Michael was 89 when he died on the Fourth of July after a period of declining health.

He was born Miklos Schonberger in Budapest, Hungary, the younger of Joseph and Helen Schonberg’s two sons. He was three when the family emigrated in 1939 from the northern Hungarian city of Ezstergom to the Bronx, N.Y., before World War II erupted in full force. Growing up, he worked in his father’s watch shop in the diamond district in midtown Manhattan. He also sang opera as a teenager, a pursuit of which he was forever proud. He attended The City College of New York and later earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Denver in 1957.

He got more than a diploma in Colorado. After finishing school and serving his country as a LTJG in the U.S. Navy, including stops in Newport, Rhode Island, Argentia, Newfoundland and Norfolk, Virginia, he met a nursing student in Denver on a blind date. A year later, on September 4, 1966, Michael and Katie Schonberg were married.

Michael’s job in computer programming (Katie worked as a nurse) took them to several states, among them Colorado, before settling in North Carolina in 1982 – Charlotte, Newton, Blowing Rock and finally Hickory.

The Schonbergs loved nature and animals. Michael published, at the age of 87, a book of tender and humorous poems about pets entitled “Sammy & Lucy & Petee & Stella: Animal Tales.” He frequented poetry night at Taste Full Beans in downtown Hickory. Heading to their small home in the N.C. mountains was a great escape, a simple thing like collecting pinecones or picking mushrooms a healing act. He enjoyed simple cooking on weekends graced by burgers sizzling on an open flame.

He counseled friends to focus on the good things and avoid the bad (like politics, he believed). Friends spoke of his devotion to Katie and their family. One friend in particular spoke of the weekly phone call that brightened his Sundays.

At the very end, he greeted loved ones who came to visit with a smile and a wave. It was his way of saying hello, and goodbye.

Michael is survived by two sons – Joseph Julius “J.J.” Schonberg (Elizabeth Pritchard Lingo) of Charlotte and Peter William Schonberg (Michelle) of Maiden; six grandchildren – Jack Schonberg Jr., Caroline Schonberg, Chelsey Lowman, Cierra Schonberg, Chase Schonberg and Ceth Schonberg; and six great-grandchildren – Gavin Thompson, Carris Thompson, Genesis Bumgarner, Vayda Bumgarner, Cayden Millsaps and Olivia Schonberg.

He was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 59 years, Katie, who passed away recently at the age of 86. He is also predeceased by his older brother, Stephen Schonberg.

The family is grateful for the care given by Better At Home, and especially for Monica and Marla, and for the nurses at Levine & Dickson Hospice House – Huntersville who made Michael’s final days as peaceful as they could be.

A service to celebrate Michael’s life will be at 4 p.m. Monday, July 13, at Temple Beth Shalom, 4360 N. Center St., Hickory. A time of fellowship follows.

A gift in his memory can be made to Temple Beth Shalom, P.O. Box 9142, Hickory, N.C. 28603; or Humane Society of Catawba County at www.catawbahumane.org or P.O. Box 2472, Hickory, N.C. 28603.

Drum Funeral Home in Hickory is honored to serve the Schonberg family and condolences may be sent to www.drumfh-hickory.com.