Abe Schumer, Sen. Chuck Schumer's father, dies at 98

Abe Schumer, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s father, died Wednesday night at Long Island Jewish Medical Center.

"My father Abe, 98, passed away this evening," the senator said in a 7:54 p.m. tweet. "In so many ways — he personified the greatest generation. He took whatever was thrown at him no matter how difficult, did his job, never complained. An amazing husband, parent, grandparent, great-grandparent. We love him & will miss him."

Abe Schumer was at Long Island Jewish in New Hyde Park for a recent heart procedure, said Angelo Roefaro, a spokesman for the Senate majority leader. The elder Schumer lived in Queens, near the hospital, Roefaro said.

Abe Schumer grew up in Utica and served as a radar operator in planes that flew over the Himalaya Mountains during World War II, according to a biography of the senator on his website.

On Veterans Day, Nov. 11, Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) tweeted a photo of his father, who was wearing a New York Yankees baseball cap and sitting in a wheelchair, and wrote, "He served our country proudly in the Pacific in WWII. And I’m thankful for all he’s done for our country and our family."

After the war, Abe Schumer took over his father’s small exterminating business in Brooklyn, where Chuck Schumer was raised.

In a reply to Schumer’s tweet announcing his father’s death, Gov. Kathy Hochul said, "Bill and I send our deepest sympathies, Senator. May his memory be a blessing."

State Attorney General Letitia James wrote in her Twitter reply, "Sending you and your entire family our prayers and love. May his memory be a blessing."

The senator’s biography said his father’s experiences as the owner of a small business affected how he views politics.

"Shaped at an early age by his father’s experiences as a small businessman, Chuck has never forgotten the difficulties faced by middle-class New Yorkers who work hard to create a better life for their families," the biography states.

By David Olson

david.olson@newsday.com@DavidOlson11

David Olson covers health care. He has worked at Newsday since 2015 and previously covered immigration, multicultural issues and religion at The Press-Enterprise in Southern California.