Gerhardt Herbert “Sam” Schrage, LTC, US Army Retired, of Alexandria, VA, peacefully passed away on January 14, 2025, surrounded by his family.
Sam was born in 1930, in Charleston, SC, to Herbert Henri Schrage and Isabel Patton Anderegg Schrage and grew up on nearby Sullivan’s Island. He was a graduate of Moultrie High School, and, in 1951, graduated from The Military College of South Carolina, “The Citadel,” with a Bachelor of Arts in modern languages. After college, Sam was commissioned into the United States Army and sent to Chicago as an artillery officer. After a long winter in Chicago, Sam was then sent to participate in the Korean War as an intelligence officer, a path he would continue throughout his military service. After his time in the Korean War, Sam returned to the United States and was assigned to Fort Stewart, GA. There he met Jane Blitch who was working as a civil servant, and after much effort, he convinced Jane to marry him. In 1957, as soon as they were married, Sam was reassigned to Korea for another fifteen months and unable to take Jane with him. Following this second tour in Korea, Sam returned to the United States and was assigned to the US Army Intelligence School at Fort Holabird in Baltimore, MD. During this 3-year assignment in Baltimore, Sam and Jane had their two children, Susanne and Mark. From Baltimore, Sam and family moved to Fort Shafter in Hawaii, then to the C&GS School at Fort Leavenworth, KS, and finally to Alexandria, VA, for an assignment at the Pentagon. After several years in Alexandria, Sam took a diplomatic assignment as the Assistant Army Attache with the American Embassy in Stockholm, Sweden, followed by a year in Viet Nam, and a final tour with the Defense Intelligence Agency, in Washington, D.C. Following Sam’s military career, he went to work for Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) working on the software systems for the U.S. Navy Tomahawk Cruise Missile program. He worked on this program until his retirement from SAIC in 1997.
Sam was an active member of Aldersgate United Methodist Church and served the church as an usher, as a member of several governance committees, and as a set-builder and carpenter for the Aldersgate Church Community Theater. Sam enjoyed a full and busy life with many interests, with some of his favorite hobbies being tennis, crossword and jigsaw puzzles, music, and above all, fishing. He was devoted to his children, Susanne Schrage-Norton (Dean) and Mark Schrage (Tucker), and his seven grandchildren, Penelope Jane Norton, Tallulah Ama Norton, Zipporah Lee Norton, Isabelle Rose Norton, Kharis Schrage Corso (Andrew), Jordan Schrage, and Bryan Schrage, along with his nieces Deborah Woeltjen Wilson (Larry) of Raleigh, NC, and Diane Woeltjen Deans (Jon) of Watkinsville, GA, nephew Wayne Stelljes of Mount Pleasant, SC, and numerous great nieces and nephews. He was called “Papa” by his grandchildren and by many of their friends as well.
Sam’s last year of life was an especially busy and joyous time for him – he traveled to Maine to participate in his granddaughter Kharis’s wedding (as the “ringbearer”), he traveled to New York to see his granddaughter Zipporah graduate from her master’s program in art, and with his son and son-in-law, traveled to Louisiana for some of the best fishing of his life, catching his largest fish ever, a 35lb. black drum. In December, he was honored to receive the Ambassador for Peace Medal from the Republic of Korea for his service in the Korean War. His last year was also filled with numerous local fishing trips, family gatherings and celebrations, games and puzzles, and exploring some of the best restaurants in the DC area.
Visitation will be held at Demaine Funeral Home in Alexandria, VA on Thursday, January 23 from 4 to 8 p.m. A Celebration of Life will be at held at Aldersgate United Methodist Church (UMC) in Alexandria, VA at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, January 24. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Aldersgate UMC, 1301 Collingwood Road, Alexandria, VA 22308, designated for the Scholarship Fund in his name (Jane and Sam Schrage Scholarship Fund).
Interment will be at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date.