Victor R. Schumacher
Greatly loved by his family and friends, Victor R. Schumacher, 76, passed away peacefully at Serenity House on February 3, 2018.
A native of Switzerland, Victor first traveled to the USA in 1968 when, upon graduating from the school of architecture at the ETH in Zurich, he earned a travel scholarship to the country of his choice. He was deeply drawn to Southern California and the Southwest, which offered a lifestyle that gradually became too appealing to leave behind. Before opening his own office in Santa Monica in 1980, for 12 years Victor was employed with the large architectural firms of DMJM, Gruen Associates where he worked with Cesar Pelli, and William Pereira & Associates where he eventually became a vice president.
Victor married his beloved wife, Faye, in 1971 and together with their daughter, Courtney, the family moved to Winterthur, Switzerland for two years. Upon returning to the US, they settled in Malibu for many years, where their son, Alec, was born. A move to Pacific Palisades for three years was followed by their permanently settling in Santa Barbara in 1991.
Victor enjoyed many lasting friendships in Santa Barbara beginning early on in Newcomers club and the Santa Barbara Yacht Club, as well as with many of his architectural clients. After retirement in 2014, Victor volunteered at the Botanic Garden on a building committee and was a member of the Mission Canyon Architectural Review Board.
Victor enjoyed skiing, sailing, traveling, camping and he especially loved working in the garden, building garden walls with stone. He enjoyed “his” city thoroughly and liked to, as he called it, “read the pulse of the town” by strolling downtown, walking along the breakwater and regularly attending First Thursdays, the City’s monthly evening art gallery open houses. Even after retiring, his favorite TV program was the Santa Barbara architectural review sessions on the local channel.
Victor will always be deeply loved and missed by his family: Faye, wife of 46 years; daughter, Courtney Narine and spouse, Carl, and grandsons, Ian and Lucas Narine of Santa Barbara; son Alec and spouse, Kate Fritz, and granddaughter, Nora, and grandsons Benjamin and Fritzy Schumacher of Goleta; his sister, Edith Wyler of Switzerland; nephew Yanick Wyler, of Argentina; niece, Ariane Langdon of New Zealand. He will always be remembered as an intelligent, kind, loyal, and honest man…a true gentleman throughout his life.
A private service will be held for immediate family.
Memorial gifts may be sent in Victor’s name to Serenity House Hospice Care, 930 Miramonte Drive, Santa Barbara, CA 93109 or the Ridley-Tree Cancer Center, 540 West Pueblo Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93105.