Walter Schaller

SCHALLER, Walter, age 87, of Oakwood, a leading restaurateur and philanthropist, peacefully passed away on Saturday, January 20, 2024, with his beloved family by his side. 

Born in Zeneggen, Switzerland, he was 1 of 14 children raised in an alpine village near the Matterhorn. At 20, he served in the Swiss military, but hospitality was always in his heart. Walter trained at hotel school in Bern and worked in several 5-star hotels in Basel, Gstaad, Montreal, and Bermuda before settling in Ohio. Although Walter's first and last job in Ohio was at Dayton Country Club, he was most proud of owning and operating Neil's Heritage House for 30 years. As a Rotarian, he was always eager to be of service to others. His charitable work included the American Red Cross and Juvenile Diabetes Foundation. Walter enjoyed running, mountain climbing, skiing, sailing, and gardening. One of his cherished achievements was being a Dayton area torchbearer for the 2002 Olympics. 

Walter was preceded in death by 9 of his siblings. He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Susan Osweiler Schaller; children, Suzanne (Garry) Shumaker and Christian Schaller (Thanh Lu), and Heidi Schaller (Morgan Thompson); grandchildren, Nicholas and Greta Shumaker, Roxanna and Felix Thompson; four siblings, Kathrin Andreas-Schaller, Sr. Marianne Schaller, Hans Schaller, Anton Schaller; and many wonderful nieces and nephews. 

The family would like to thank Oak Creek Terrace of Kettering for their friendship and loving care. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his name to the Alzheimer's Association (https://www.alz.org/dayton/donate). 

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11AM on Tuesday, April 30 at Holy Angels Church, 1322 Brown St, Dayton.  Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be made at www.routsong.com.