Charlotte “Char” Mae Schullo, age 94 of Wyoming, MI passed away peacefully on August 27,
2026, surrounded by her family.
She was born August 1, 1932, the third child of Paul and Mary (Gowlaski) Gessner. She grew up on the West side of Grand Rapids and attended Union High School and Davenport University. Her life-long sidekick Madeline (Sis) Thwaites was always at her side.
Char worked and lived in Wyoming, MI for 64 years and was a devoted parishioner at St. John Vianney Church. Her sunny disposition will be missed by all in her community.
Char was preceded in death by her parents and her siblings, Paul (Sally) Gessner, Robert Gessner, and Virginia (Daniel) Baker.
She leaves behind daughters, Mary Ann (Bob) Banaszak and Sandy (Jim) Link; grandchildren, Andrea (Kylie and Ellie) Link, Anthony (Kristina) Banaszak, Cody (Sierra) Jenks, Meghan Link, Robert Banaszak, Jr., and Kelsey Link; seven great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews who regarded her a second mom.
She was a beloved mother, grandmother, aunt, caregiver and the heart of her family. Char was a mother in the truest and most profound sense of the word. She became mother to Mary Ann and Sandy when they were infants, adopting them and giving them not only a home but a lifetime of unconditional love, devotion and belonging.
She was the mother who chose us, who held us when we were babies, watched us grow, who celebrated our joys, comforted us through our sorrows, and stood beside us through every chapter of our lives. She never made us feel that adoption made us different. We were simply her daughters, and she was simply our Mom.
Her greatest legacy is not measured in possessions or accomplishments, but in the love she gave so freely and the family she created.
In her later years, Char was cared for lovingly by Mary Ann and Sandy who were grateful for the opportunity to have her mother at home and be by her side through her final chapter. She passed peacefully surrounded by the love that she had spent her life giving to others. Though our hearts are broken by her absence, we are grateful for the extraordinary gift of having her as our mother. She will forever be our Mom, our home, and a part of us that will never be gone.
Friends and family are invited to attend a funeral mass on Thursday, September 3 at 11AM at St. John Vianney Church, 4101 Clyde Park Ave. SW, Wyoming, MI. Open visitation at 10AM preceding mass. Luncheon will be served immediately following mass at St. John Vianney. Interment for immediate family will be held at Resurrection Cemetery.
