LIVING HISTORY
17
Several generations including Louis, Anna (John’s parents), Florence with
her and John’s children Ed and Florine in front of her, Joseph Miller (Florence’s
father), John Schlitt Sr. with son Frank in front of him, are represented
in the photo.
together every other year. Bob says his extended family filled
up more than half the cabins at Silver Springs last year.
EVIDENCE OF FAITH
Not only was the first Catholic service held at Louis and
Anna’s home but they
were highly instrumental
in building St. Helen’s
Catholic Church and
helped establish the first
Catholic school. All of the
earlier Schlitts attended
Catholic schools, though
they had to be driven to
Fort Pierce since Vero had
no Catholic high school.
“My mother would
Faith and community involvement were
drive all of us back and
important to John and Florence Schlitt
forth to school, game
pictured with St. Helen’s Father McKeown.
practices and church activities so much that she used to say
she sometimes thought she saw herself on the road that day
coming and going,” says Dolores Schlitt Barth laughing.
“There were so many of us that half the church congregation
was either related by blood or marriage.”
Their community involvement is evidence of their belief in
being of service to others. The list of charitable organizations
they either founded or volunteer with is astounding: Future
Builders of America, St. Helen’s Harvest Festival, Youth
Guidance, Youth on a Mission, Habitat for Humanity, Visiting
Nurses Association, Boy Scouts of America, Exchange Club,
Pilot Club, Substance Recovery Community, Jaycees, United
Way, and more.
THE SCHLITT DIFFERENCE
Many large families suffer from in-fighting because of ego
or jealousy. Not the Schlitts. “No one is out there trying to be
anybody else but themselves,” says Craig Schlitt. “I went to
school with most of my cousins, and all of us cannot wait to
get together since we really do care about and enjoy being
with each other.”
That is a good thing since in the course of a day it would be
almost impossible to avoid at least one family relation.
“Home, family and faith are our key values and we all
have a good German work ethic,” says Schlitt Ford. “We have
a great love of community and an appreciation for being able
to raise our families here.”
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