Fay Hermine Cicely Schulmeister of Kailua passed peacefully at home on May 26, 2017 four months into her 104th year. Born on January 6, 1913 in Kingston Jamaica as Fay Crosswell, she was educated in the British style school system and worked in a bank while pursuing her avocation of singing and acting in amateur theatre productions. After the Second World War, she combined a cash prize won in an amateur singing competition with gifts from friends and family to enroll at Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore in the same residence as Josephine Schulmeister of Hawaii, who was studying piano under a scholarship from the nuns of the Sacred Heart Convent. She soon fell in love with Josephine's brother, John ("Johnny"), who was working in a post-war apprenticeship program in a nearby piano factory. Fay married Johnny in 1948 and moved to Honolulu. Johnny tuned and rebuilt pianos, initially for Thayer Piano Company, and Fay taught piano from home while raising daughters Ann and Mary and sons John and David. Much of Fay's life focused on caring for daughter Mary who was blind and autistic but also a musical "savant" who performed brilliantly on piano and harp. Fay also traveled in her later years and avidly read and listened to music. She enjoyed vivaciously regaling book club members at "teas" she hosted, commenting on the readings as well as topics of the day, and of days gone by, in her charmingly musical Jamaican accent. She left behind poetically crafted essays describing her early upbringing and interesting tidbits of her unusual family history centered in Jamaica, Haiti and New Orleans. Fay was predeceased by son Philip in 1950 (Mary's twin), son John in 1976, husband Johnny in 1982, and daughter Mary in 2014. She is survived by daughter Ann Owens (Martin), son David Schulmeister (Lea Crandall), five grandchildren and two great grandchildren. Services will be July 5 at St. Anthony's Church in Kailua. Visitation at 9:30; Mass at 10:30; burial at Punchbowl at 1:00.
Fay Hermine Cicely Schulmeister of Kailua passed peacefully at home on May 26, 2017 four months into her 104th year. Born on January 6, 1913 in Kingston Jamaica as Fay Crosswell, she was educated in the British style school system and worked in a bank while pursuing her avocation of singing and acting in amateur theatre productions. After the Second World War, she combined a cash prize won in an amateur singing competition with gifts from friends and family to enroll at Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore in the same residence as Josephine Schulmeister of Hawaii, who was studying piano under a scholarship from the nuns of the Sacred Heart Convent. She soon fell in love with Josephine's brother, John ("Johnny"), who was working in a post-war apprenticeship program in a nearby piano factory. Fay married Johnny in 1948 and moved to Honolulu. Johnny tuned and rebuilt pianos, initially for Thayer Piano Company, and Fay taught piano from home while raising daughters Ann and Mary and sons John and David. Much of Fay's life focused on caring for daughter Mary who was blind and autistic but also a musical "savant" who performed brilliantly on piano and harp. Fay also traveled in her later years and avidly read and listened to music. She enjoyed vivaciously regaling book club members at "teas" she hosted, commenting on the readings as well as topics of the day, and of days gone by, in her charmingly musical Jamaican accent. She left behind poetically crafted essays describing her early upbringing and interesting tidbits of her unusual family history centered in Jamaica, Haiti and New Orleans. Fay was predeceased by son Philip in 1950 (Mary's twin), son John in 1976, husband Johnny in 1982, and daughter Mary in 2014. She is survived by daughter Ann Owens (Martin), son David Schulmeister (Lea Crandall), five grandchildren and two great grandchildren. Services will be July 5 at St. Anthony's Church in Kailua. Visitation at 9:30; Mass at 10:30; burial at Punchbowl at 1:00.
Our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the deceased
