English:
Join us via Zoom for a virtual memorial service primarily in English for Mark Schomer. The service will be led by Rev. Laura Martin from Rock Spring Congregational Church in Arlington, Virginia. The service duration is one hour followed by a time for remembrances and sharing (via Zoom breakout rooms) in Spanish and English.  Participants must RSVP with a valid email to receive the Zoom invitation and log-in instructions.

Español:
Únase a nosotros a través de Zoom para un servicio conmemorativo virtual principalmente en inglés para Mark Schomer. El servicio será dirigido por la Rev. Laura Martin de la Iglesia Congregacional Rock Spring en Arlington, Virginia. La duración del servicio es de una hora seguida de un tiempo para recordar y compartir (a través de las salas de reuniones de Zoom) en español e inglés. Los participantes deben confirmar su asistencia con un correo electrónico válido para recibir la invitación de Zoom y las instrucciones de inicio de sesión.

Virtual Memorial Service for Mark Schomer

Vera Cardinale

Mark Schomer

Music-and-Guitar

Nadia Ranne

OBITUARY - English & Español
Mark Philip Schomer, 73, citizen of the world, residing in San Felipe, Retalhuleu, Guatemala, passed away due to COVID-19 on May 8, 2021.
Mark is survived by his wife, Ana Maria Rivera de Schomer of Quetzaltenango, Guatemala; daughter Nadia Schomer Ranne, husband Adam Ranne, and their two children, Alex and Amaya of Pahoa, Hawaii; daughter Vera Schomer Cardinale, husband Chris Cardinale, and their two children Mateo and Malena of Arlington, Virginia; sister Karine Schomer and her husband Raphael Shevelev of El Cerrito, California; sister Ellen Schomer of Hilo, Hawaii; brother Paul Schomer of Santa Rosa, California and his daughter Thaileah Derocher Schomer of Petaluma, California; brother-in-law Rene Rivera of Quetzaltenango, Guatemala; sister-in-law America Rivera de Flores of Guatemala City, Guatemala; loving extended family in Guatemala; his beloved dog Milou; and a host of long-time friends around the globe. He is preceded in death by his parents, Howard and Elsie Schomer.
Born in Le Chambon-sur-Lignon, France on November 3, 1947, Mark was raised there and in Geneva, Switzerland, where his parents were involved in post-war humanitarian aid. The family moved to Chicago, Illinois in the early 1960s, where Mark attended the University of Chicago Laboratory School. He attended Oberlin College and graduated in 1968 with a bachelor’s degree in religious studies.
In his 20s, he was active in the Civil Rights movement, and as a conscientious objector to war during the Vietnam War, he served as a teacher and school principal in the Congo through EIRENE (International Christian Service for Peace). Mark then moved to Paris, France to study international development at IRFED and there met Ana Maria Rivera, a classmate. They were married on August 25, 1971 in Paris and their daughters Nadia and Vera were born there.
Mark worked for the Coordinating Committee for International Voluntary Service in Paris, Church World Service in Peru, Bread for the World in Washington, DC, and Church World Service in Costa Rica before returning stateside to earn his MBA in Public and Private Management at Yale University in 1985. He went on to work for Save the Children in Connecticut, Christian Children’s Fund in Virginia, and the USAID Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance in Costa Rica.
Mark spent his last 20 years managing his wife’s family coffee farm, Finca Santa Elena y Anexos, in San Felipe, Retalhuleu, Guatemala. Together, Mark and Ana Maria became coffee and banana farmers engaged in agritourism and local economic development in Guatemala to create more employment for the rural community. Mark also taught small business development and facilitated work camps and study abroad experiences in Spanish, English, and French. He was an active volunteer, serving with U.S. Democrats Abroad, as treasurer of Hospital Hilario Galindo, member of the local coffee growers association, and secretary of the local chapter of Grupo Gestor, a national business leadership group that promotes economic development from the local level.
Mark was charismatic, sweet, kind, generous, trusting, straightforward, dedicated, well-meaning, and full of sunshine. Always a true gentleman, he possessed an optimistic, positive attitude towards life. From his childhood in Europe and the United States, to his life’s work in international relief and development, to his loving 50-year marriage, and his years of agriculture and community building in Guatemala - his life was one of harmony, family, service, faith, and goodness.
When the COVID-19 pandemic started, Mark and Ana Maria were stranded in Hawaii and spent six months with Nadia’s family and his sister Ellen. It was a beautiful time. During that period, Mark wrote his autobiography, which will be published by 2022. It is a warm and wonderful record of his interesting life and the values it embodied, and it will be a treasure for all of us who knew him and for others who may be inspired by his life. He titled the book Hold On: Trying to Help People in A Changing World, in honor of the favorite Civil Rights era song he and his sister Karine used to sing together with their guitars.
Virtual memorial services are being planned in English and Spanish. All are welcome to attend and celebrate Mark’s life. Condolences, photos, and remembrances can be posted and viewed at the memorial: www.mykeeper.com/profile/MarkSchomer/.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donations in Mark’s memory to Faith in Practice at www.faithinpractice.org/ways-give. Mark was treasurer of the rural Guatemalan hospital that hosts volunteer foreign surgical teams from Faith in Practice, and he was passionate about supporting their life-saving work.

Español _____________________________________________________________________
Mark Philip Schomer, de 73 años, ciudadano del mundo, residente en San Felipe, Retalhuleu, Guatemala, falleció debido al COVID-19 el 8 de mayo de 2021.
A Mark le sobreviven su esposa, Ana María Rivera de Schomer de Quetzaltenango, Guatemala; su hija Nadia Schomer Ranne, su esposo Adam Ranne y sus dos hijos, Alex y Amaya de Pahoa, Hawaii; su hija Vera Schomer Cardinale, su esposo Chris Cardinale y sus dos hijos Mateo y Malena de Arlington, Virginia; su hermana Karine Schomer y su esposo Raphael Shevelev de El Cerrito, California; su hermana Ellen Schomer de Hilo, Hawaii; su hermano Paul Schomer de Santa Rosa, California y su hija Thaileah Derocher Schomer de Petaluma, California; su cuñado Rene Rivera de Quetzaltenango, Guatemala; su cuñada America Rivera de Flores de Cuidad Guatemala, Guatemala; amorosa familia extensa en Guatemala; su querido perro Milou; y una gran cantidad de amigos en todo el mundo. Le anteceden en la muerte sus padres, Howard y Elsie Schomer.
Nacido en Le Chambon-sur-Lignon, Francia, el 3 de noviembre de 1947, Mark se crió allí y en Ginebra, Suiza, donde sus padres participaron en la ayuda humanitaria de posguerra. La familia se mudó a Chicago, Illinois a principios de la década de 1960, donde Mark asistió a la Escuela de Laboratorio de la Universidad de Chicago. Asistió al Oberlin College y se graduó en 1968 con una licenciatura en estudios religiosos.
Cuando tenía 20 años, participó activamente en el movimiento de derechos civiles y, como objetor de conciencia a la guerra durante la guerra de Vietnam, se desempeñó como maestro y director de escuela en el Congo a través de EIRENE (Servicio Cristiano Internacional para la Paz). Mark luego se mudó a París, Francia para estudiar desarrollo internacional en IRFED y allí conoció a Ana Maria Rivera Alvarez, una compañera de clase. Se casaron el 25 de agosto de 1971 en París y allí nacieron sus hijas Nadia y Vera.
Mark trabajó para el Comité Coordinador para el Servicio Voluntario Internacional en París, Church World Service en Perú, Bread for the World en Washington, DC y Church World Service en Costa Rica antes de regresar a los Estados Unidos para obtener su MBA en Gestión Pública y Privada en la Universidad de Yale en 1985. Continuó trabajando para Save the Children en Connecticut, Christian Children's Fund en Virginia y la Oficina de USAID de Asistencia Extranjera para Desastres en Costa Rica.
Mark pasó sus últimos 20 años administrando la finca de café familiar de su esposa, Finca Santa Elena y Anexos, en San Felipe, Retalhuleu, Guatemala. Juntos, Mark y Ana María se convirtieron en productores de café y banano, participando en el agroturismo y el desarrollo económico local en Guatemala para crear más empleo para la comunidad de la zona rural. Mark también enseñó desarrollo de pequeñas empresas y facilitó campamentos de trabajo y experiencias de estudio en el extranjero en español, inglés y francés. Fue voluntario activo, sirviendo con US Demócratas en el Extranjero, como tesorero del Hospital Hilario Galindo, miembro de la asociación local de cafetaleros y secretario del capítulo local de Grupo Gestor, un grupo de liderazgo empresarial nacional que promueve el desarrollo económico desde el nivel local.
Mark era carismático, dulce, amable, generoso, confiado, directo, dedicado, bien intencionado y lleno de sol. Siempre un verdadero caballero, poseía una actitud optimista y positiva hacia la vida. Desde su infancia en Europa y los Estados Unidos, hasta el trabajo de su vida en la ayuda y el desarrollo internacional, hasta su amoroso matrimonio de 50 años y sus años de agricultura y desarollo de la comunidad en Guatemala, su vida fue una de armonía, familia, servicio, fe y bondad.
Cuando comenzó la pandemia de COVID-19, Mark y Ana Maria se quedaron varados en Hawaii y pasaron seis meses con la familia de Nadia y su hermana Ellen. Fue una época hermosa. Durante ese período, Mark escribió su autobiografía, que se publicará en 2022. Es un registro cálido y maravilloso de su interesante vida y los valores que encarna, y será un tesoro para todos los que lo conocimos y para otros que pueden inspírarse con su vida. El tituló del libro es Hold On: Trying to Help People in a Changing World, en honor a la canción favorita de la época de los derechos civiles que él y su hermana Karine solían cantar juntos con sus guitarras.
Se están planificando servicios conmemorativos virtuales en inglés y español. Todos están invitados a asistir y celebrar la vida de Mark. Las condolencias, fotos y recuerdos se pueden publicar y ver en el memorial: www.mykeeper.com/profile/MarkSchomer/.
En lugar de flores, considere donaciones en memoria de Mark a Faith in Practice en www.faithinpractice.org/ways-give. Mark era tesorero del hospital rural guatemalteco que alberga equipos quirúrgicos extranjeros voluntarios de Faith in Practice, y le apasionaba apoyar su trabajo para salvar vidas.

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Mark Schomer Obituary | Keeper Memorials