Obituary of George Albert Schupka

GEORGE ALBERT SCHUPKA, age 97, of Fort Myers passed away on Thanksgiving Day, November 27, 2014. He was born on January 21, 1917, in Brooklyn, New York to the late George Frank Schupka and Hedwig Anna (Retzlaff) Schupka. He was preceded in death by his sister, Elinor E. Schupka Hunt and her husband, A. Lowell Hunt. Following graduation from high school at Rockville Centre, Long Island, Class of 1937, he joined the Army and was stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Tech. Corporal Schupka was in charge of the photo lab as well as training W.A.C.'s to work in the lab. His work ranged from photographing military parades, taking photos of dignitaries, photographing over 3,000 German P.O.W.'s along with developing/shipping all prints out of Fort Bragg. He received an honorable discharge in 1946. After moving to Fort Myers in 1951, George opened his own photography studio and spent his lifetime photographing the local people and business of Fort Myers: portraits, weddings, babies, graduates, families, and commercial photography. He retired in 1980 and worked out of his home until 1990. He also enjoyed painting nature scenes and growing orchids. George became a Christian at the age of 12. In 1965 he joined Riverside Baptist Church of Fort Myers and became an active part of the congregation. He served as a deacon, worked for over 25 years with the baptismal committee, helped out with the bulletin for many years, and served on the teller committee. He was the church photographer documenting the history of Riverside through the years with his camera.