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Dr. Rich Schumacher, Peachtree City planning commissioner, dies suddenly Peachtree City Planning Commission member Dr. Rich Schumacher died unexpectedly after complications from surgery Tuesday, according to a family spokesperson. A memorial service has been scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday at Peachtree City United Methodist Church, where he was a member; a reception will follow the service. In lieu of flowers, the family is asking for donations in the memory of Dr. Richard Schumacher be made to the Peachtree City United Methodist Church Missions, 400 Windgate Road, Peachtree City, Georgia, 30269. Schumacher, 74, had hernia surgery at Piedmont Hospital Dec. 12 but began to suffer from complications days later, according to a family spokesperson. Schumacher, an "almost fully retired" physician who dabbled in health care consulting, had served on the Planning Commission for over three years and was recently selected by the City Council to fill a second term. Schumacher was remembered by Peachtree City Mayor Steve Brown as a planning commissioner who "was an extraordinary example to the young men of our community." "He was sensitive to the welfare of the families in the subdivisions living near proposed new developments," Brown said. "He was concerned about new development causing our schools to be overcrowded. He demanded the best effort from the developer on every site plan because he loved the community. He brought a sense of humanity to the technical realm of city planning." Schumacher's medical experience was extensive, ranging from duties as chief of medicine for Doylestown (Penn.) Hospital and medical director for several insurance companies. He also served in the U.S. Navy's medical corps as a lieutenant commander from 1957-1960, where he performed some of the first open heart surgeries. Schumacher, who achieved the rank of Eagle Scout as a youth, volunteered his vacation time in the 1960s as a physician, providing medical care to the underprivileged in the Dominican Republic. As an active participant in the civil rights movement, Schumacher organized and led a busload of participants to the July 1968 march against poverty in Washington, D.C., bringing along his 13-year-old son, Jim. In his application for a second term on the Planning Commission, Schumacher noted the difference between his service here and that on the Bucks County (Penn.) Planning Commission in the mid 1970s. "Our process in Peachtree City is far more comprehensive, and sensitive to the needs of our citizens," Schumacher wrote. In addition to his service on the Planning Commission, Schumacher was active at Peachtree City United Methodist Church, where he served as co-chair of the missions committee and the Habitat for Humanity project. Schumacher was voted Layman of the Year in 2001 for the LaGrange District of the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church. Dr. Schumacher is survived by his wife, Kathy; sons, Eric Goodman, James Schumacher and Neil Schumacher of Vermont, Craig Schumacher of Arizona; daughter Carol Schumacher of Colorado; and 6 granddaughters, in addition to his brothers, Bill Schumacher, Phil Schumacher, and Jim Schumacher.
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