John Joseph Schule III, known from birth as Jay, died suddenly at his home in Holly Springs, MS, on Thursday, February 17, 2022, several hours following a fall in the home. He was born on July 21, 1943, in Jersey City, New Jersey, to John Joseph Schule, Jr., and Mary Jean Radigan Schule. He would become the oldest of 5 sons. His parents and two of his brothers preceded him in death. They were Robert Schule (Marilyn,) of Washington, D.C, and Amelia Island, FL, and Richard Schule of Alexandra, VA. His surviving brothers are Michael Schule (Janine,) of Sterling, VA, and David Schule (Patti,) of Fort Myers, FL, and Washington, DC. Jay was a lifelong Roman Catholic.
Mr. Schule is survived by his wife of 51 years, Diane Pope Schule, and two children, Tim Schule and Carrie Schule Gary (Brian,) all of Cordova, TN. Mr. Schule graduated from Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C. (1961,) Boston College (1965,) and Georgetown Law School (1968.) He served on the USS Saratoga during the Vietnam Conflict, and then followed his father into the Federal Government Service upon the completion of his military service. Jay served as Administrative Law Judge and Board Member of the Board of Veterans Appeals from 1970-1996. He then accepted an appointment as an ALJ for the Social Security Administration, in the Memphis, TN office. The family moved to Holly Springs, MS, outside of Memphis, in support of Diane's job as the Director of Marshall County Library System. Jay retired in 2006.
Jay loved his family, dogs, cats, (even one extraordinary hamster,) babies, and sports of any kind, but especially the Dodgers. His love of the Dodgers went back to their Brooklyn days, when his Grandfather would take him to games at Ebbets Field. But, really, if an activity involved a ball, or a puck, of any size or shape, and someone was keeping score, he was hooked. In his last few decades he became an ardent fan of professional horseracing. His main complaint about the limitations imposed by the COVID pandemic was that he could not in good conscience spend his days at Oaklawn Raceway in Hot Springs or at Southland in West Memphis, and he really missed going to Fairgrounds track in New Orleans. He loved New Orleans in general, but a trip to Fairgrounds was always included. His family will miss him very much!
A visitation will be held on Tuesday, March 1, 2022, from 5:00 until 6:30 pm at the Holly Springs Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Marshall County Humane Society, or any group that helps to encourage youth sports.