Karl Scheitheir

Karl Scheitheir (“Goofy”) was the kind of person who did not wait for others to ask for his help. Whether it was fighting for the rights of people living with AIDS or shoveling the sidewalks and driveways of his neighbors on the West Side of Buffalo, he was on the scene without hesitation. Karl was born 63 years ago in North Tonawanda, N.Y. to Judith Wilke and Arthur Scheitheir. After infancy he was raised primarily by his grandparents in Western New York. His happiest memories of his youth were of visiting national parks across the U.S. and Canada with his grandparents. His extended family includes cousin Cheryl Freer; siblings Linda Babiak (Arcade), Robin Higgins (Grand Island), and Margaret Schotto (Vermont); as well as nieces and nephews Rebecca, Christopher, Philip, Matt, Jon, Sarah Lynn, Sarah Lou, Emily, Jill, A.J., and Amy. After graduating from Tonawanda Senior High, where he participated in wrestling and hockey, he attended Mohawk Valley Community College near Utica, N.Y. He volunteered as a disc jockey for the school’s radio station, WRMT, before transferring to Syracuse University. There he studied arts, advertising, and design and again worked as a DJ for the college’s station. A role as director of the student-run Concert Board led to him bringing artists like Prince, David Bowie, and Bruce Springsteen to the city’s Carrier Dome. This initial exposure to the music industry soon led to booking emerging acts into local clubs, and he was approached by RCA Records with a job in New York City. Thinking the offer was a practical joke, he initially turned it down until he could be convinced otherwise by a label executive. He left Syracuse before graduating and found himself, in his early twenties, one of the youngest A&R (Artists & Repertory) professionals in the “spectacular” music scene of the 1980s. “It was hard for me to comprehend,” he later recalled. “I was a twenty year old kid, meeting idols that I had had all my life. I never thought I could do all that.” Karl chose to put his own career on hold when his aging grandfather grew ill, and he returned to Tonawanda in 1985 to take care of both grandparents for the remainder of their lives. In his downtime he began spending time at the Continental, the fabled punk venue in downtown Buffalo where he found his true community. Mutual friend Claudia O’Keefe introduced him to Tony Popielinski at the club, and their relationship gradually blossomed into a partnership and marriage that lasted 35 years. Karl’s second career was in the world of printing and graphic design. His first job in the field was at Bodoni Press, followed by lengthy spans of work over the next three decades at what was then called Kinko’s, then Net Tech Solutions, the Bee Group of community newspapers, and finally Gintzler International. At each one he added to his growing circle of lifelong friends. A solid supporter of Planned Parenthood from an early age, Karl made activism an essential part of his life in Buffalo, most notably with the Western New York chapter of ACT UP, the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power, from the late 1980s into the 1990s. He combined the skills of his day jobs with his work on behalf of the local queer community by co-founding many print publications, including Q News and Outcome, which kept Western New Yorkers informed about politics, culture, and health issues well before the advent of the internet. Aside from Tony, music was the greatest love of Karl’s life. As a longtime member of the Buffalo Bears, a gay men’s social and service organization, he was a beloved DJ for monthly dance parties for years, also sharing that talent at many private and public events. Ska and punk were his personal favorites, but no genre or theme was beyond his grasp. “I couldn’t imagine my life without music,” he said, and sharing it with others “brings me joy.” Karl died on March 9 after a lengthy struggle with cancer, with Tony and his friends Don Kreger and Meg Knowles by his side. Final arrangements were handled by Wattengel Funeral Home. A celebration of his life will be held in the future; for details, contact tpskibear@aol.com. Donations can be sent to Gay and Lesbian Youth Services of WNY.

Karl Scheitheir

January 27, 1962 - March 9, 2025