Margaret Kuntz Scheele

Margaret Ann (Kuntz) Scheele, 97, of Jacksonville, Florida, passed away Wednesday, October 18 surrounded by her family, after a short illness.  She was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana on April 9, 1926 to George Kuntz and Ethel (Peterson) Kuntz, the second of three children.

She graduated from Southside High School in Fort Wayne, where she was a member of the National Honor Society, and attended Indiana University, earning a BA in French. She was a member of Pi Beta Phi sorority and a lifelong loyal Hoosier fan. She married her high school sweetheart, Paul Wermuth Scheele, on August 26, 1950. They were married for 70 years, living in Indianapolis, where they raised their children, until 1984 when they moved to Florida.

Margaret was a long-time member of South Jacksonville Presbyterian Church where she was active in women’s circles, earning an Honorary Life Membership to Presbyterian Women USA. She was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution and spent many hours in her genealogy study compiling notebooks of research and family history.  She had a love of sailing and in earlier years spent many happy hours with Paul on their sailboat at Lake Wawasee in Indiana. She is also remembered by her children for the many family trips to state parks in Indiana.  In later years, she and Paul enjoyed traveling, both domestically with Elder Hostel and on several tours of Europe.  Margaret was a great fan of Indiana University basketball. She could be heard singing the IU fight song, along with her sorority song well into her 90s.

She is survived by her three children, Timothy Scheele (Linda), of Petaluma, Calif., Christine Weerts (Luke) of Selma, Ala. and David Scheele of Fernandina Beach, four grandchildren, Katherine Scheele, Emily Newman, Allison Scheele, and Meagan Scheele, along with two great-grandchildren, Henry and Elliette Newman. She leaves in cherished memories many nieces and nephews across the country, her Jacksonville neighbors and church members and her friends and staff at Brookdale Southside. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Paul, her sister Katherine Gallmeyer and her brother George Kuntz. She will be greatly missed by her family and by those who knew her for her faith, fortitude and plucky perseverance in the face of life’s many challenges. A memorial service will be scheduled in the future.  Memorial contributions may be made to the music program at South Jacksonville Presbyterian Church, 2137 Hendricks Avenue, Jacksonville, FL 32207, https://sjaxpc.org/give/