John Henry Schwarzmann Sr., age 84, of Germantown, Tennessee, passed away on Monday, September 5, 2022. John was born June 27, 1938, in Washington, District of Columbia, to Margaret and Henry Schwarzmann.
John married Phyllis Guerrieri in May of 1960. Together they made a life for themselves on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay, in Maryland and the suburbs surrounding Washington. There he engaged in various business ventures, including building boat trailers and swimming pools and selling modular homes. John worked for 23 years with C & P Telephone Company in Washington. He then joined Federal Express in 1979 and moved to Memphis, Tennessee. He progressed through his career as a Managing Director and Senior Technical Fellow with FedEx Logistics Services. His career highlight was being the chief architect of ZapMail, a predecessor of modern fax machine technology, earning him a Five Star Award. After retirement in 1994, he returned to Maryland and worked as the Chief Technical Officer for TNT Logistics until 1996. He returned to Memphis in 2000.
Inspired from an early age from hanging around his grandfather's service station (Schwarzmann Garage), John greatly enjoyed building and racing hotrods and streetrods. He continued this hobby through adulthood and passed on that passion to his son. He was member of Street-Tiques of Memphis, attending car shows and nostalgia drag races.
John is survived by his wife of 62 years, Phyllis; son, Jay Schwarzmann (Stacey); grandchildren, Ashley, Savannah, and Carson; and five nieces and a nephew. He was preceded in death by his parents and his sister, Ann Houle.
Services will be held at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church, 8151 Poplar Avenue, Germantown, TN 38138. The memorial mass will be held on Saturday, October 1 at 10:00 AM with a reception to immediately follow.
Memorials may be directed to the American Heart Association and the American Diabetes Association.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.MemphisFuneralPoplar.com for the Schwarzmann family.
