James Benjamin Schubert
1927-2011
Mr. James Benjamin Schubert, aged 83, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, May 10, 2011 in Santa Maria, surrounded by his family. His death follows a long battle with a debilitating illness. Mr. Schubert was born September 30, 1927 in Honolulu, HI, son of Mr. William John Schubert and Mrs. Soledad Juarez Schubert. James was raised on the island of Oahu with ten brothers and two sisters, all of whom preceded him in death. Mr. Schubert grew up with many cousins with whom he was very close.
James was an accomplished musician, mastering the piano and keyboard instruments while very young. By the age of twelve, he was performing on live radio broadcasts and began his life-long career as organist for local churches. He enlisted in the United States Army during World War II, serving with the Military Police in Honolulu. Later, he graduated from the Conservatory of Music of Milton College in Madison, WI, where he met his wife Mariel Phillips. They were married December 31, 1949 in Mariel's hometown of Boscobel, WI, where they lived for two years before relocating to Contra Costa County in CA. There he worked for the Navy's military installation at Port Chicago. During this time, he also worked for Brown's Music Store in Concord as a music instructor and as the music director for St. Catherine of Sienna Catholic Church in Martinez. Remarkably, he managed to sire seven children during this time. In 1964, he relocated to Santa Maria, CA and worked at Vandenberg Air Force Base until he retired in 1982. He was organist for St. Louis de Montfort, St. Mary's and Guadalupe Catholic Churches, as well as for Gloria Dei Lutheran Church. Mr. Schubert was well-known throughout the Santa Maria Valley for his musical performances, providing background and liturgical accompaniment for many weddings, funerals, baptisms, communions, quinceañeras and confirmations over the past 50 years. He was also active with the Docent Program at La Purisima Mission in Lompoc, CA. James was an animated story-teller, had a prolific gift of ‘gab', and would stop to chat with anyone around town who would listen.
Mr. Schubert's paternal ancestors can be traced as far back as 1638 to Christoph Schubert of Muelsen, Chemnitz, Saxony. Christoph was born during the Thirty Years War which devastated Germany. It is estimated that only about a third of the population survived that war. Christoph's descendents lived at Muelsen until 1807, when Mr. Schubert's great-great grandfather, Johann Gottlieb Schubert, removed his family to Oberlungwitz in Chemnitz. All subsequent generations lived there until Mr. Schubert's grandfather, Gustav Adolf Schubert, migrated to Kailua, Kauai, HI in 1882 to manage workers at the MaKee Sugar Plantation. Prior to that, Gustav had served in the Saxon military, was wounded and decorated with a medal. Mr. Schubert's father, William, was born in Lihue, Kauai in 1887 while the Islands were under the rule of King Kalakaua. He watched as the Kingdom's flag was lowered and the United States' annexation flag was raised over Queen Lili'uokalani's Palace in 1898. William was instrumental in landscaping the Royal Hawaiian Hotel during construction in 1927. James' mother, Soledad Maria Juarez, migrated to Oahu, Hawaii from Abunol, Granada, Spain in 1907 with her parents, Gabriel Juarez and Carmen Munoz Juarez. Soledad's father was employed as a mason. Soledad was politically active in the Hawaiian government and was one to be reckoned with. Contrary to popular belief, and the opinion of his mother, Mr. Schubert was not directly related to the famous composer Franz Schubert.
Mr. Schubert is survived by his children ["From Nipomo, Jeff, no Pee-lap, Warren? No, Cathi... {sigh} no Mark, not Anne, who am I thinking of? Larry, that's the one!"] Mr. Laurence James 'Larry' Schubert of Nipomo, CA; Mr. Warren Alan Schubert of Santa Maria; Mrs. Anne Maureen Schubert-Reyes and husband Harold 'Mr. Bear' of Ojai, CA; Mr. Phillip Michael Schubert and wife Jayne (Jenkins), of Santa Maria; Mr. Jeffery Paul 'Jeff' Schubert and wife Kelly (Klocke) of Carroll, IA; Mr. Mark Andrew Schubert and wife Valerie (Vasquez) of Santa Maria; and Mrs. Cathleen Marie 'Cathi' Finks and husband Jack also of Santa Maria; grandchildren Mr. Joseph 'JoBe' Alloway, Mr. Lawrence 'Little Larry' Schubert, Mr. Aaron Alloway, Mrs. Jessica Gonzalez, Mr. Jack ‘Jack-Jack' Finks, Mr. Mark ‘Little Mark' Schubert, Mr. Jaycen Finks, and Mr. Joel Finks all of Santa Maria; Mrs. Tonya Wyers of Ventura, CA; Mr. Odinn Alloway of Stockton, CA; Mrs. Renee Paredes of Nipomo, CA; Miss Cheryl Schubert of Salt Lake, UT; and Mrs. Stephanie Vanleeuwen of Twin Falls, ID; first cousins Mr. Tony Boneza and wife Linda of Kailua, HI; and sisters-in-law Mrs. Henrietta Perreira Martin ‘Rikki' Schubert of Honolulu, HI; Mrs. Bernice Araujo Schubert of Concord, CA; Mrs. Ruth Hickok Schubert of Medford, OR; Mrs. Gladys Phillips Guerra of Wildomar, CA; and Mrs. Sandra Kilcoin Schubert of the Bay area; eighteen and 1/3 great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.
James was preceded in death by his wife Mariel Ann Phillips Schubert (1928-2009); grandparents Gustav Adolf Schubert (1851-1918), Marie Dorothea Caroline Schilling Schubert (1847-unk), Gabriel Juarez Lopez (1867-1929), and Carmen Munoz Domingo (1871-1955); parents William John Schubert (1887-1972) and Soledad 'Mary' Juarez Schubert (1894-1964); brothers Bill Schubert (1911-1955) Peter Kovner Schubert (1912-1991), Alfred Kovner (1914-2002), Gabriel Kovner 'Harry' Schubert (1915-1999), Jose 'Joseph' Schubert (1920-1920), Gustave ‘Gus' Schubert (1922-2004), Robert ‘Bob' Schubert (1924-1997), Lawrence 'Evan' Schubert (1930-2009), Stanley Schubert (1931-1996), Michael Schubert (1936-2003); two sisters Josephine 'Jo' Schubert Horton (1916-1999) and Victoria Grace Schubert (1925-1929); and grandchildren Glen Schubert (1975-1975) and Sarah Sue Bowdish Hernandez (1980-2007).
We will miss the piano concertos and organ serenades we were privileged to listen to as we fell asleep in our childhoods, the ever present opinion ["Gross!" or "That's a goo-od one!"], boiling raw peanuts for an afternoon snack, date pits in the parking space surrounding our car, li hing muis rationed out like gold nuggets, Hawaiian music at 2:00 am with the Schubert uncles and aunts strumming ukuleles and singing around the piano, and an occasional Hawaiian epitaph. James Schubert was "One good bugga, bruddah. Da kine ono!"
A funeral mass and rosary will be held Monday, May 23, 2011 beginning at 2:00 pm at St. Louis de Montfort Church, 1190 East Clark Avenue, Santa Maria. Services will be followed by a reception in the church parish hall. Mr. Schubert's ashes will be interred, with those of his wife Mariel, alongside Mariel's parents at Arroyo Grande Cemetery in a private family gathering.
Arrangements have been made with Magner-Maloney Funeral Home and Crematory, 600 East Stowell Road, Santa Maria. For further information, please call the Church Rectory at (805) 937-4559 or the Funeral Home at (805) 925-2753.

. Published in Santa Maria Times on May 17, 2011