The funeral Mass for Father Thomas J. Schaab was celebrated Feb. 17 at St. Joseph Church in Clayton. Father Schaab died Feb. 12. He was 72 years old, taught at archdiocesan high schools in the 1970s and '80s and had been senior associate pastor at St. Joseph for the past 13 years.

Born on June 13, 1946, in St. Louis, he graduated from Bishop DuBourg High School, Cardinal Glennon College and Kenrick Seminary. He was ordained to the priesthood on May 18, 1974, by Cardinal John Carberry.

After serving as associate pastor at Immacolata Parish in Richmond Heights for the first two years of his priesthood, Father Schaab spent the next 12 years teaching at four archdiocesan high schools while serving as a part-time associate pastor at a half-dozen parishes. He taught at DuBourg (1976-78), Mercy (1978-81), Duchesne (1981-84) and John F. Kennedy Catholic (1984-88). Meanwhile, he was part-time associate pastor at St. Pius V in St. Louis (1976-78), St. Luke the Evangelist in Richmond Heights (1978), Our Lady of Lourdes in University City (1978-81), St. Robert in St. Charles (1981-84), Sacred Heart in Valley Park (1984-86) and St. Clare of Assisi in Ellisville (1986-88).

After moving full-time into parish work as associate pastor at St. Clare (1988-90), Father Schaab served as associate pastor of Resurrection Parish in St. Louis (1990-92), pastor of Our Lady of Fatima in Florissant (1992-2000), senior associate at St. Justin Martyr in Sunset Hills (2000-01), administrator at St. Christopher in Florissant (2001-03), pastor at St. Christopher (2003-05) and senior associate pastor at St. Joseph since 2005, the longest tenure in his ministry.