Obituary of Howard J. Schermerhorn

Howard James Schermerhorn, 93, of Clifton Park (Town of Halfmoon), beloved husband for 59 years to the late Joan E. Melesky Schermerhorn, peacefully passed away at home surrounded by his loved ones on Wednesday, June 3, 2026.

Born in Cohoes, NY, he was the son of the late Harold and Ada Lueck Schermerhorn and was a graduate of Cohoes High School.

He served in the U.S. Army from 1953 to 1955 and received the National Defense Service Medal as well as his Honorable Discharge.

Mr. Schermerhorn was retired from Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory “KAPL” in Niskayuna where he had been a Lab Technician.

A phenomenally gifted athlete, he was an avid softball player having played until he was 85. In 1982 he was elected to the Hall of Fame Friends of 112th Street in Troy NY, for Outstanding Achievement on the Ball Field and in 2008 he was elected to the MVP Gold Capital District Senior Softball Hall of Fame. He was also a diehard Yankees fan, with Mickey Mantel being his all time favorite Yankee. He enjoyed spending time with his best friend Anthony, going to breakfast or taking a ride to Lowe’s or Home Depot or just going for ice cream. He also enjoyed going out to dinner weekly with his friend Jean. But his most favorite times were being around family, taking them to breakfast or dinner, and family holiday dinners for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

He had been a member of the American Legion Mohawk Post 1450 in Halfmoon.

Devoted father to Laurie E. (David) Sparks and the late James Howard (Karen Hallenbeck) Schermerhorn, cherished grandfather to Sarah (Evan) Read, Rachael (Justin) Urbaniak, Kelly (Daniel) Fisher, Evan Schermerhorn, Tyler Schermerhorn, Wendy (Jeremy) Quay, Melissa (David) Wilt, David (Coletta) Sparks, Ashley (Andrew) Samson, adored great grandfather to Aidan, Sophie and Parker Read, Kylee and Avery Urbaniak, Ayla, Gracie, and Lily Fisher, Marc Williams, Mariah Singleton, Justine, Jillian and Carson Quay, Maddy Sparks, Alivia and Ashton Wilt, Alec, Jared, Hunter, Briella and Ember Sparks, brother of the late Harold (late, Jane) Schermerhorn and the late Robert (late, Loretta) Schermerhorn, also survived by several nieces and nephews.

Funeral will be held on Thursday, June 11, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. at the Gordon C. Emerick Funeral Home, 1550 RT-9,  Clifton Park, NY 12065.

Calling hours will be from 4 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, June 10, 2026 in the funeral home.

Interment with military honors will be held in the Gerald B.H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery, Schuylerville.

The family wishes to express their sincere gratitude to Megan O’Rourke, LeAnn Baker, Joseph King and Asia Jefferson for the wonderful care and comfort they gave him these past 4 months, especially in his final days. And a special thanks to Daniella Filmer for helping to put this caring team together.

Those desiring, may make memorial contributions to Community Hospice Foundation Gift Processing, 310 Manning Blvd, Albany,NY 12208 or The Joshua Fund Inc which is an animal rescue at joshuafundrescue.org  in memory of Howard J. Schermerhorn.

Please view the Memorial Video, offer Condolences or Share a Memory with the family on this page.