Dr. Gerard Joseph Schilling, 88, passed away at the Villa Scalabrini Special Care Unit in Sun Valley on August 26, 2021.
He was born in Erie, Pennsylvania, on February 13, 1933. He attended Gannon College in Pennsylvania and the Kansas City Missouri College of Osteopathy and Surgery, graduating in 1958.
Dr. Schilling moved to southern California and completed his medical training in January 1965. For nearly 40 years, Dr. Schilling practiced medicine in the Boyle Heights section of East Los Angeles, performing thousands of eye exams and surgeries for his patients who were low-income residents of East Los Angeles. He remained in Boyle Heights because he believed passionately in helping the less fortunate and the poor through service and financial generosity.
A devout Catholic, Dr. Schilling was a parishioner at St. Bede Catholic Church in La Canada Flintridge for 30 years, and served as an Extraordinary Minister. He is preceded in death by his parents, Mary and Joseph; sister Barbara; and brother John Joseph. He is survived by his children John, Jackie, and son-in-law Jim; his five grandchildren Joe, Jordan, Julia, Jenna and Josie; his great–granddaughter Charlotte; former wife Rose; and many family members, nieces, and nephews whose lives he touched.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions be made in Dr. Schilling’s name to Villa Scalabrini, 10631 Vinedale St., Sun Valley, CA 91352, or villascalabrini.com/ways-to-give.
