John Carey “Jack” Schrenker, 78, of Orlando, Florida, passed away April 04, 2017. Mr. Schrenker was born August 19, 1938 in Baltimore, MD. He was a Certified Financial Planner and a Certified Public Accountant. Mr. Schrenker is preceded in death by his brother Jim Schrenker and sister Margaret Schrenker. He is survived by his loving wife Virginia Schrenker; children Ruth (Pat) Price of Orlando, Mary Schrenker (Mary Ann Davenport) of Crawfordville, FL and Fran (Dan) Shuler of Gastonia, NC; sister Ann (Lloyd) Militello of Gainesville, GA; 1 grandson Joey McLemore of New Orleans, LA; many nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Charles Barromeo Catholic Church, 4001 Edgewater Drive, Orlando, FL 32804.
John Carey Schrenker – who every one knew as Jack was born August, 19, 1938, in Baltimore, Maryland. Oddly enough, he shares a birth date with Bill Clinton and Tipper Gore. Jack's family moved to Jacksonville, Florida when he was 18 months old. He graduated from Bishop Kenny High School and then attended Belmont Abbey College in Belmont NC for two years. On a summer break from college, Jack met Virginia Masters at Good Council Camp in Floral City Florida. She thought he was a smart aleck and persistent and he remained both throughout his life. Jack grew up with a goal to be a Navy pilot. After 2 years of college, Jack was accepted and entered the Navy Pilot Program. Jack was unable to complete the program due to eye issues and completed his term of service on the USS Forrestal where he served as a mailman and got to see the world. He made many life long friends in the NAVCAD Program. After Jack completed his Naval Service and Virginia completed her schooling and testing to become a Registered Nurse, they were married on November 23, 1961- Thanksgiving Day- which is actually the opening day of quail hunting season. Jack always said he had a shot gun wedding because his new father in-law and brothers in law- all six of them- were going hunting immediately after the wedding. Jack and Virginia lived in St. Augustine after they married and moved to Orlando in September 1963, a month before daughter Mary was born. Jack realized he needed to finish his degree to provide for his family, as there were now three beautiful baby girls to go along with his lovely wife, Virginia. So, he went back to Belmont Abbey College and got his degree in accounting while Virginia worked as a Registered Nurse to support the family. After completing his degree in 1969, Jack and his family returned to Orlando where he practiced accounting as a Certified Public Accountant and later also a Certified Financial Planner. So, what did Jack Schrenker’s life consist of? His was a life of devotion to his bride; devotion to his lovely girls; devotion to his one and only grandson; a life of devotion to his faith and the ministries and the – far too many to list- committees he served on at St. Charles. He served in and for the Knights of St. Columbus and the Apopka – or as he said it “Apotka” Rotary Club. He and Ginny were Paul Harris Fellows and he was past president of his rotary club. He spent his Sundays visiting the homebound and the sick in the hospital. He faithfully served the Lord. Jack unswervingly served his family and was dedicated to his church and church community. Okay, so enough about all of this- His family called him Father Jack- Father Jack told endless stories, crazy jokes – even if he couldn’t remember the punchline- and pronounced words incorrectly, remembered faces but not names, sometimes confused facts, wore white socks with everything, including black dress shoes. His suits were stylish and often worn with crazy ties and always with his trademark white socks. Jack never met a stranger. He was truly larger than life. In fact, all the nurses from the hospital came to hear his stories before he became too ill to talk. He loved life, loved people and he loved to make people laugh. He wanted everyone to know about God's love and how important it is to live every moment. Jack heart was big. He would do anything for anyone at anytime and always put others before himself. Jack and Ginny gave their family a beautiful gift by pre-arranging funeral and burial arrangements. Jack's last gift to us came at the hospital as he spoke about his end of life decisions. With his beloved Ginny and his daughter Ruth by his side, Jack said, "I have lived a long and fulfilling life; I have no regrets, I am at peace and I am ready to go." God bless Father Jack and all of us who were blessed to know and love him!