St. Susanna pastor dies after long illness
By Denise Callahan

Staff Writer

Friday, November 14, 2008

MASON — Father Dan Schuh, the head of the St. Susanna Catholic Church, died Friday morning, Nov. 14, church officials confirmed.

Schuh, a widower who had two children and six grandchildren, was diagnosed with ALS, or Lou Gehrig's Disease, in April 2007.

Despite the terminal diagnosis, Schuh continued to lead the church, attended masses and was an inspiration to the parishioners.

Mason Councilwoman Christine Shimrock, who is writing Dan's autobiography, met with him on Thursday and she said she knew it would be her last meeting.

"When his brother got there from Florida, I said Dan we're going to visit with your family," she said. "He didn't want to end the interview. He had things he wanted me to know before he would let the interview stop. It was the only time he was audible and I could understand him. The last 10 minutes of the interview I was standing next to his wheel chair, crying like a 2-year-old. I knew he was telling us good-bye, he didn't say good-bye, but they were these final thoughts he was giving me, to wrap up what we've been talking about for months.

In an interview with the Pulse-Journal in October, Schuh got a twinkle in his eye when asked about the book and said "I think Christine needs to re-think that idea, who would want to read about me."

In November 1992, Schuh's wife, Gail, died from complications of Hodgkin's Disease. After entering the seminary in August 1997, Schuh was ordained May 23, 2003.