Sylvia Martha Schaa

January 22, 1929 - September 29, 2025

Sylvia was born on January 22, 1929 in Brooklyn, NY to Herbert and Emma Rahm.  She grew up on Long Island in Huntington, NY where her father owned a bakery.  Her home was above the bakery and Sylvia worked in the bakery after school and on weekends from a young age.  She met Fred (Ferdinand) Schaa through a church youth group on a boat trip up the Hudson River in 1944.  After graduation from High School, she briefly attended Concordia University and then worked as a secretary in New York City until her marriage to Fred on July 15, 1951.

As a young couple, they lived in Beverly, MA where Fred worked for Sylvania.  Their first child, Kathleen Joy, was born in Beverly.  The family then moved to Babylon, NY where daughter Pamela Jeanne and son Paul Eric were born.  As a stay at home mom, she provided a loving home for her family. In the early 1960s, they moved to Watchung, NJ and built a home where she and Fred would spend the rest of their lives.

After all her children were on their own, she fulfilled a lifetime dream to work in the medical field and went back to school to become a certified medical assistant.  She graduated with honors as the top student achieving the highest academic score in the class.  She worked for Dr. Meckler, a gastroenterologist for 10 years before retiring.  After retirement, Sylvia enjoyed traveling throughout the United States, the Caribbean and Europe.  As an avid fan of Bob Ross (The Joy of Painting), Sylvia used his technique to produce beautiful paintings that her family cherishes.  She was also very active in the Watchung Garden Club and served in various leadership positions over the years.  At age 92, Sylvia was taught to play Mah Jongg by her daughter Pam and her friend Maggie.  They would play online together on Sundays until she was 95 and she would end the session with “ Thanks girls, see you next week!”

Sylvia was preceded in death by her husband Fred and son Paul.  She is survived by daughters Kathy Fisher ( Bozeman, MT) and Pam Schaa ( Beaufort, SC), grandson Chris Fisher and wife Heather (Arvada, CO) and two adorable great granddaughters.

The family wishes to thank Comfort Keepers and Center for Hope Hospice for providing loving and dedicated care which allowed Sylvia to stay in her home as she wished.