Paul M. Schugsta

Paul M. Schugsta, Jr, age 80, of Ambler, PA, passed away peacefully surrounded by family on November 10, 2024. Paul grew up in the Lawncrest section of Philadelphia where he attended St. William’s Grade School and Cardinal Dougherty High School (1962). Paul graduated from LaSalle College in 1966, where he majored in Political Science. He was also a four-year member of the rowing team, including being named captain his senior year. It was along Boathouse Row that Paul met the love of his life, his wife Kathy. They wed in 1967 and spent the next 57 years building a family together on Garden Road in Oreland, PA.  

If Paul’s family was his first love, rowing was his second. Paul continued racing competitively in the years after college. When he and Kathy started their family, Paul would frequently find time on the river each morning before anyone in his house was even awake. As Paul aged and his time in a shell lessened, he became active as a referee and mentor to younger rowers. He regularly served as an official at the Dad Vail Regatta, Stotesbury Cup Regatta, Frostbite Regatta, and many others. However, no regatta was more special to him than the Bayada Regatta - the longest-running all-adaptive rowing event in the world. He was also a proud member of Malta Boat Club for over 50 years and a long-time board member of Pennsylvania Barge Club. Paul cherished the life-long friendships he made with fellow rowers from his six decades on the water.  

Paul had a long career in the pharmaceutical industry. After earning his MBA from Temple University, he worked in marketing research at Merck, Wyeth and GlaxoSmithkline. At these companies, Paul had the opportunity to travel extensively throughout the world. Some of his favorite places to conduct international business included England, Australia, Belgium, and Italy.

Paul is survived by his loving wife Kathy (nee Campbell), sons Michael (Mary), Owen (Kathleen), Alex (Ellen) and Mark (Brittany). Paul is also survived by his grandchildren, Samantha, Tim, Anna, Patrick, Tilly, Ryan, Philip and Helena. Relatives and friends are invited to the viewing Saturday, November 16, 2024, from 9:00am-11:00 am at Holy Martyrs Church, 120 Allison Road, Oreland, PA 19075. Mass of Christian Burial will be at 11:00 am, with interment immediately following at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Cheltenham Township, PA. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Paul’s name to St. Genevieve School, 1237 Bethlehem Pike, Flourtown, PA 19031.