Josefine Schober

One amazing woman, Josefine Schober, aged 89, passed away unexpectedly at her residence on Sunday, February 22, 2026.

Josefine is survived by her 4 children and their extended families: Martin and Joan Schober, Dekalb; Erwin Schober, Potsdam; Heidi and Fred Soucis, Malone; David and Vicki Schober, Potsdam; and 9 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren, and several nieces and nephews, with one special niece being Trudy White of Potsdam.

Friends may call at Garner Funeral Service on Monday, March 2, 2026 from 2-4pm. A funeral service will follow the calling hours at 4pm with Pastor Kevin Young officiating. Burial will take place in the spring at St. Mary's Cemetery, Potsdam.

Josefine was pre-deceased by her spouse of 51 years, Horst Schober, in April 2010 and brothers, Karl, Ladi, and Rudy Kropelnicki and sisters, Olga Hassler and Franziska Bronicki, and one great-grandson, Jonathan.

Josefine was born in Czernowitz, Romania on October 8, 1936, the daughter of Franz and Helene (Tyron) Kropelnicki. She immigrated to the United States with her parents in January of 1954 where they settled in Potsdam, NY to be closer to Olga and Franziska. After our father immigrated from Switzerland to the United States in the 1950's as well, he had met our mother after he was invited to a gathering by the Duciewicz family of Potsdam.

Mom said our father was relentless in trying to court her as there were other suitors back in the day trying to catch our mother's eye, until one day she finally gave in and went on a date with our father and the rest is history as they wed on May 17, 1958.

In 1959, they purchased a dairy farm in Potsdam where the farmed together for over 45 years. Prior to staying home and raising their children, our mother worked for a short time at Pahler's Packing, Garner Funeral Home and cleaning doctor offices. After the kids were grown and she didn't need to watch grandchildren anymore, she went to work full time for the College Association at Chaney Dining Hall at SUNY Canton where she worked until her seventies as she had no time for slowing down. There she met many wonderful individuals where she maintained many friendships after she retired.

Our mother was an amazing mother, grandmother, and friend who had a heart of gold. She rarely lost her temper, but when she did, it was kind of comical to see as long as you were not on the receiving end. She was a tremendous cook and baker and if you were a recipient of her famous cabbage rolls, pierogies or stuffing, you knew they were the best. Her daughter, Heidi, still thinks mom left out telling her one secret ingredient to the stuffing recipe as family members report the stuffing remains a close second.

Our mother loved to go dancing and during the summer months, she could be seen at the Riverview Restaurant in Brasher Falls on a Sunday afternoon listening and dancing to the bands, enjoying trips to the casino, fish fry dinners, gardening, puzzles, traveling and just being with family and friends. She enjoyed attending the children and grandchildren's sporting events or concerts and was their biggest supporter.

We also want to give thanks to the Wesley (since passed) and Martha Buffham family and their children (Bonnie, Dawn, Joe, and Laurie) who were good friends to our mother after our father's passing and Mayfield resident, Wayne Hill, who was also a friend to our mother and assisted her on many occasions.

She leaves behind family and friends who will miss her presence tremendously each and every day. "There are some who bring light so great to the world that even after they are gone, the light remains." This quote truly reflects our mom. 'Til we meet again.