Dr. Edward H. ‘Ted’ Schacker passed away on July 1st, 2024, in Bellingham, Washington. Ted was born September 30, 1933, in what was then Breslau, Germany. In 1936, his parents returned to the United States due to the growing threat of Hitler and the Nazis. He was naturalized as a citizen in 1951.

Ted grew up in Brooklyn, NY, and spent much time at his grandparents’s farm in Middleburgh, NY. The family moved to Lindenhurst, NY, when he was a teen.

After graduating high school, Ted followed his older brother into the Navy, serving on the same ship during the Korean War as an enlisted person. After deciding that the officers got better rations, he left the Navy and got a baseball scholarship to Hofstra University, graduating with a degree in biology. He married and had four children, Edward, Kathleen, Curtis, and Victoria. He applied for and accepted a commission in the United States Air Force in order to serve his country and fulfill his lifelong love of flying.

In 1969, he met his second wife, Cleo (Cee), and after a whirlwind courtship, moved to Japan and a new duty station. He served in the Vietnam Conflict, rising to the rank of Major, becoming a Senior Navigator, and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. After that tour was over, he was stationed at Wright Patterson AFB in Ohio, where he continued to serve until his retirement in 1976. While in Ohio, he earned two master’s degrees at Wright State University. He retired from the Air Force in order to pursue new opportunities and interests. After leaving the Air Force, he and Cee moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, where he earned his Doctorate in Education in 1981 from UNLV, becoming a school psychologist and marriage and family therapist in private practice. They lived and worked for many years in Nevada, working for the Las Vegas School District, the Nevada Bureau of Prisons, and in private practice in Boulder City, Nevada.

Ted and Cee loved visiting Whidbey Island in the summers. He fell in love with the area while flying test missions with the Navy at the Whidbey Island Air Station and resolved to eventually move there permanently, which they did in 1993, building their first house on Honeymoon Bay. He worked as a school psychologist for the Oak Harbor and Coupeville school districts until his final retirement.

Ted loved boating and motorcycles and sailed/rode on many trips to Winthrop, Canada, the San Juan Islands, and the PNW with his family and friends. He was a member of the Whidbey Goldwing Riders Club for several years and relished the camaraderie of riding with the club. He enjoyed biking around Whidbey Island with his grandchildren and hanging out with his other best friend, Claude Harvey. He loved sports of all kinds and was a wonderful racquetball player, winning many tournaments, both single and pairs. He enjoyed watching boxing, MMA, and many other sports.

In 2014, Ted and Cee moved to Burlington to be closer to their daughter and grandchildren. He continued to ride motorcycles and scooters until he was in his 80’s. Near the end of his life, they relocated to Bellingham, where he spent his final months in hospice.

His family will always remember his offbeat sense of humor, wit, and love of Dad jokes. He loved music, playing guitar, and singing harmonies with family. His accumulation of shoes and motorcycle gear was unmatched. He never met a car or motorcycle salesperson he didn’t like. He made an amazing Sunday sauce with meatballs and sausage, always got up at 5am to start the Thanksgiving turkey, and was an expert at grilling steaks, one of his favorite meals. His favorite expression toward the end of his life was the unofficial family motto, “Bite Me!” which would cause him to chuckle uproariously. We will miss him.

He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Cee, his daughter, Terri, and grandchildren, Diana and Lara, grandson-in-law Hunter, and great granddaughter, Makenzi, his younger sister, Christine, and children from his first marriage, Edward and family, Kathleen (predeceased), Curtis and family, and Victoria and family.

Memorial interment was held on September 17th, 2024, at Tahoma National Cemetery. Per his wishes, a scattering of ashes will also be held on Whidbey Island at 1130 am, September 30th, at Ebey’s Landing.