John Henry Schuck II

John Schuck passed peacefully August 23, 2023 in Leesburg FL. John was born in Minneapolis MN June 21, 1934 as the youngest son of Faye and Robert Schuck. After the Great Depression and before WWII, John's family moved to a small farm in Bloomington MN so they could raise animals and grow vegetables to be assured of food. Airplanes were John’s passion since the day a small plane landed on their farm low in fuel. During high school John was in the Cadet program of the Civil Air Patrol. When the Korean conflict broke out, John was deployed as a radar technician in the Air Force. Afterwards, John attended the University of Minnesota and Minneapolis College of Art and Design. John was hired by Campbell Mithuin Advertising as a Jr Art Director where John met Diane. John and Diane married in 1959 and had 2 children, Steven and Jennifer. In 1968 John partnered to form Schuck Olmstead Studios where the duo team obtained notable accounts such as General Mills. That led to John being on the cover of the Wheaties box, and modeling for some print ads for Steamboat Springs. John joined the Minneapolis Rugby Union in the 1960’s and eventually helped form a new rugby team, the Minneapolis Old Boys. In 1975 John joined fellow WWII airplane enthusiasts in the Commemorative Air Force, CAF. John really found his niche in the CAF, contributing his writing, photography, and promotional talent to honoring these restored relics. Restoring the P-51 C Mustang, “The Red Tail Project”, became the prime focus of John’s CAF involvement, a goal John had noted in his CAF member application to recognize the Tuskegee Airmen of WWII. John also worked passionately on the Miss Mitchell B-25 Restoration project that is still underway today. In 2006 John & Diane moved to the Villages, FL to embrace the retirement community. They enjoyed the new neighborhood friendships, large family gatherings, and their northern friend visits. In retirement John wrote his book, “There They Go!”; first published in 2013 with a slightly modified color edition published in 2017. John was able to share the richness of aviation history through the lens of his own life-long experiences, further contributing to the preservation of the history of flight in America. After 56 years of marriage, John lost his wife Diane in March 2016. John is also preceded in death by parents Robert and Faye Schuck, and all his siblings, Beverly Johnson, Scott Schuck, and Roberta Reinhardt. John is survived by his son Steven Schuck (Lisa) and daughter Jennifer Schuck (Jami). John will be put to rest with his wife Diane at Bushnell National Cemetery with close family attending. In lieu of flowers "Let's Keep 'em Flying", Dad would want it this way; Contributions can be made to: “The Miss Mitchell Endowment Fund” CAF - Dallas Executive Airport PO 764769, Dallas TX 75376

John Henry Schuck II

June 21, 1934 - August 23, 2023