Jakob Schardt

It is with great sadness that we share the news that Jakob Schardt passed away peacefully, just after midnight the morning of Thursday February 5, 2026, in his residence at Oakmont of Orange Senior Community in Orange, California. He was 94 years old. He was cared for by the staff at Oakmont and supplemental support services provided by Valley Oaks Hospice.  We are so grateful to all who cared for him these past several years.  Heartfelt thanks to:  Rebekah, Kathy and Jeaneth at Valley Oaks who went above and beyond in their care;  Paul, his physical therapist of five years, who kept him strong and fit up to the day he passed away and brought him so much joy with boxing exercises and friendly conversations; Paty, Anna, Alyson, Fatima, Sylvia, Jenny, Mitzy, Esperanza, Elvia, Perla, Josie, Lupe, Lucia, Yahana, Yesenia, Manal, Scott, Keith, Vinnie, Leo and all the amazing current and former Oakmont staff who loved and cared for Jakob through easier, fun days as well as challenging, tough days.

 You will always be a part of our family.  May you fondly remember Jakob stocking up on cookies, sharing his treats, telling you exactly what he needed, puzzling, making a joke and/or greeting you with an enthusiastic “Heeelllloooo!” 

He is predeceased by his wife of 57 years, Katharina (Ello) Schardt, son Ludwig “Luke” Schardt, mother Margarethe (Schlosser) Schardt and father Ludwig Schardt.  He is survived by family members: daughter Magdalena Schardt and son-in-law William Eidson and their two children Sophie and Colette, the five children of his son Luke - Kerissa (husband George Lowe and son Nathan), Jessica (daughter Madison and son Jackson), Jacqueline (husband Zack Gaskins), Logan and Thomas. 

Jakob was born in the Ukraine in 1931, when it was still part of the U.S.S.R. and the primary language in his village was Russian.  He came from a long line of Germans who had immigrated to farm the land in the Ukraine and so he also learned to speak German at home.  During World War II, he, his mother, his father and his older brother were forced to flee their home in the Ukraine and they eventually made their way, as refugees, to Germany.   They all became naturalized German citizens, but shortly thereafter, began the quest to immigrate to the United States.  While living in Germany, in his teens, Jakob learned the trade of machine building.  In his early twenties, before the opportunity to come to the U.S. came to fruition, he worked on the plantations of the Ivory Coast, Africa for three years, where he learned to speak French fluently.  When he arrived in the U.S. in 1957, he spoke and read Russian, German and French fluently and would then learn to speak and read English fluently. 

His life in the U.S. began in Los Angeles.  His first job in LA, together with his brother and other German immigrants, was at a local bakery (the leftover baked items at the end of the day were a bonus).   It did not take long for him to obtain a job at Jonathan Manufacturing in Orange County, as a machine builder, the trade he had learned in Germany.  With noteworthy skill, relentless hard work and commitment to the company, he earned several promotions, until he reached the top position in the company, Plant Superintendent.  As Plant Superintendent, his innate business acumen was evident and he honed those skills until he was ready to take on the challenge of owning his own business.  In the early seventies, he, his wife Katharina, his brother Albert and his brother’s wife, Ruth, purchased a convenience store in Anaheim and so began a lifelong family partnership in small businesses.  The partnership later purchased a residential real estate business in southern California, which supported the two families and provided for a comfortable retirement for Jakob and his brother and their respective wives.  All of us in the family are extremely grateful for Jakob’s common sense management style and diligent efforts to ensure that the businesses were profitable and provided a prosperous life for both families.  In addition to the family businesses,  Jakob and Katharina dabbled in some other businesses together – including renting motor homes for people to travel from Canada to southern California and back.  Jakob and Katharina were a remarkable team in all of their business ventures.  They thoroughly enjoyed working together and shared mutual love and respect for each other.  Their working relationship fueled their marital relationship and vice versa, building a stronger bond overflowing with love.  Jakob took care of Katharina until she passed away, living with her in the memory care section of Oakmont, so she would not be alone there.  They were partners in every sense of the word – in marriage, in friendship, in home life, in parenting and in business. 

Jakob, together with Katharina, were wonderful parents to their two children, Luke and Magdalena. They provided their children with unending love and support, a home filled with laughter, amazing meals (thanks to Katharina’s unmatched cooking skills) and constant encouragement to work hard, keep learning, and strive to be your best self.  They supported Luke as he navigated through the ups and downs of owning and running different businesses and cheered on Magdalena as she ventured on to college, law school and a career as an attorney on the east coast.  As much as they enjoyed parenting, the joy of being grandparents was unparalleled.   Without a doubt, they were extraordinary grandparents.   In his mid-fifties (still relatively young), Jakob became grandfather to twins, Kerissa and Jessica.  Less than two years later, younger sister Jacqueline joined the family.  Jakob and his wife cared for the three girls, financially and emotionally, for most of their childhood, adolescence and young adulthood.  When the girls were not living with them full time, they would still spend weeks at a time with their devoted grandparents.  These amazing grandparents traveled with the girls throughout California, cross-country and even to Europe, giving the girls opportunities to see the world and meet lots of relatives.  They spent millions of priceless everyday moments together, such as sharing meals during which grandpa’s silliness and jokes made them giggle or watching a movie over and over again, so that even Jakob and Katharina knew every line of the movie (and song if it was a musical).  The fun continued when Magdalena, living in Pennsylvania, had a daughter, Sophie and then, three years later had another daughter, Colette.  Although thousands of miles away, Katharina and Jakob continued their legacy of amazing grandparenting.  From telephone calls (and later face time calls) filled with goofiness and lots of laughter, to longer visits several times a year and fun vacations, Jakob and Katharina enveloped Sophie and Colette in so much love that they felt as if their grandparents lived around the corner.  Later, when his son Luke had two more children, Logan and Thomas, Jakob and Katharina again opened their home to them and supported them for many years through the vagaries of Luke’s business ventures.  While much older when Logan and Thomas came along, Jakob welcomed the very new and different experience of having grandsons while still sharing the unconditional love, generosity and joking around that had always been Jakob’s trademarks.

Other than taking care of family and managing his businesses, Jakob enjoyed spending time with friends, traveling and exercising.  He and his wife were founding members of the Phoenix Club in Anaheim, a club celebrating German heritage, culture and food.  Many of the founding members were immigrants like Jakob and Katharina.  They forged friendships that lasted their whole lives. Jakob raised a couple shot glasses of his favorite German schnapps with longtime Phoenix Club friends and family the weekend before he passed away. Traveling was one of his favorite past times. He once told his daughter that he would rather go on a trip than buy furniture for his living room.  He still bought the furniture but traveled when he could afford it.  He traveled across the US, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and Europe often and among his favorite travels were a ship ride through the Panama Canal, two whitewater raft trips down the Colorado river and a visit later in his life to the Ukraine with his wife.  He was an avid swimmer and would make time to go to the gym.  As he approached semi-retirement in his fifties and through his eighties, he swam and went to the steam room five to six times a week.  Even after he suffered nerve damage down his leg and foot drop, he continued to walk with a brace and walker.  His commitment to exercise was remarkable. He was a fighter whose mental strength surpassed his physical strength and allowed him to tackle many physical challenges and injuries in his lifetime. 

Jakob wholeheartedly believed that education offered infinite opportunities in life and the promise of financial security.  Magdalena will forever be grateful for his confidence in her abilities and that he gifted her with an undergraduate education and proudly attended both her undergraduate and law school graduations.  He happily financed the undergraduate college educations of his granddaughters Kerissa and Jacqueline and watched with great joy as they flourished in their careers and financial independence.  He traveled all the way to Pennsylvania, despite some health issues and physical challenges, to attend the high school graduations of Sophie and Colette and the college graduation of Sophie from the University of Pittsburgh.  He was planning to travel again to Pittsburgh this May to celebrate two more graduations from Pitt – Colette’s from undergraduate and Sophie’s from a graduate master’s program.  We will miss his booming physical presence terribly but nevertheless will save a seat for him at the graduation ceremonies with full awareness that he will be cheering Sophie and Colette on from a much better view, where you don’t have to navigate the crowds and traffic.

Jakob approached life with enthusiasm, positivity, a sense of humor, a healthy dose of mischief and always in search of the adventure, the possibility and the joy that each day could bring.  His generosity was unmatched, from tipping the server in a restaurant generously to supporting family members in their hour of need.  Every family member has benefitted from his kindness by direct financial gifts or from the profits of the family businesses he managed to keep lucrative all his life.  Not much could dampen his cheerful disposition and quick wit, he was always ready to make a joke, playfully tease, make fun of himself and find the humor or silver lining in the situation.  No matter what physical or mental challenge presented itself, be it a health issue, family issue or business issue and when others would have likely rolled over and given up, he faced it with determination and a positive mindset. 

We are extremely grateful to all the family members and friends who checked in on Jakob, especially these last few years.  For those who reached out with a phone call, a visit, took him out to lunch or even just sent a card – we thank you.  All his grandchildren and great grandchildren brightened his days with calls and visits, and many nieces and nephews did as well – Anna and Rick, Shiloh, Samantha, Andy and Yolanda, Evan, Pam and Mike, Mary Jane and Katie.  To all the members of the Oakmont Community who were his daily companions for these past several years, thank you for your friendship.

For all his life, Jakob remained steadfast in his unconditional love and support for his family.   As the sun has set on Jakob’s time with us, on a life well lived, we will always remember and treasure the light he has left behind.  We love you and we miss you.

An old Irish saying:  “When we speak the name of those who have died, sadness isn’t beckoned.  Rather, it draws the sadness out of us.”

Please see the photo gallery below for pictures of Jakob and his family.

In lieu of flowers, we suggest making a donation to the ACLU to support their ongoing efforts to promote and protect the rights of immigrants in the United States.  Donations can be made in honor of Jakob to the national branch of the ACLU, using the link provided below, or to the ACLU branch in your state.  Acknowledgements may be sent to the Schardt family in c/o Shannon Family Mortuary 1005 E Chapman Ave Orange, CA 92866 or by email to magdalena.schardt@gmail.com.   

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