I enjoyed having him for calculus, he was a good teacher.

My sincere thoughts and prayers are with you Wendy and family.xxx

Aroha nui e te whānau. Though I didn’t have the time with my cousin or know him as deeply as others did, it was beautiful to hear and feel the aroha and the impact he shared so generously. His legacy lives on in you Luke and Daniel — and in the many students privileged to learn from him in school, church and in life. A fitting farewell you all organised for the great man that was John Schwartfeger. Mā te huruhuru, ka rere te manu. John gave others the feathers to fly. We honour our whanaunga John (nephew/cousin) with love, gratitude, and deep respect. Much love from your Flay whanau - Aunty Josie Palmer and family in Nelson; Barbara, Trish and Violet-Rose xo

Dearest Wendy and boys All my love and thoughts are with you. I have fond memories of you and John during confirmation classes with Jim Wallace back in the day - you seemed like the perfect couple and your faith in God and each other always shone. It’s hard to imagine you without him. There are no words for this but I’m sending you all my love xx

2 Timothy 4:7-8 NIV [7] I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. [8] Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. Love to Wendy, Luke and Daniel from the Geddes family ❤️

What an amazing legacy John has left Wendy. My condolences to you and Luke and Daniel. Praying for Gods presence to be very close to you all in the coming days. Love from Pat Bloomfield.

My biggest Thank You's to Mr Schwartfeger for everything you've done for us. You were the goat, the best maths teacher I could ever had. You made class a whole lot more fun and interesting. Thank you for your passion in teaching us, your faith in us. You made maths seem so much simpler, approachable. Thanks for your sense of humour. I am forever grateful to have you as a teacher. Thank You. We will always miss you. and saddened by this untimely passing. May you rest forever in peace. Fly high Sir. You were always way cool. Kris Zhang

Arohamai Whanau it was with deep sadness we learnt of John’s passing.🙏 To attended today and learn what an outstanding Man he was certainly was a privilege. It’s wonderful to know that he lived surrounded by love ❤️ Special hugs to Emily and Chris.♥️ RIL Cuz

John was my math teacher for a short while at Western Heights High School. He left a lasting impression and showed an example of how a Christian should operate in the workplace. Our prayers and thoughts are with the family.

Wendy my aroha and thoughts are very much with you and your family with the devastating passing of John. Big hugs!

We are so saddened to hear of the loss of this legend! He inspired us both and was such an amazing mentor at Heights and JPC, always giving sage advice. He was truly one of the most special colleagues we've ever had the pleasure of working with. Rest in peace John. What a legacy you have left.

Dear Wendy, We are shaken with this sad news. Just wanted to let you know that you and your family are in our thoughts. Lots of love

Heart goes out to the family. I know John raised good men. Lots of love for you all.

Dearest Wendy, Luke and Daniel, Much Aroha from the deep South. We grieve with you John's passing. A true gentleman, kind, witty and intelligent and above all, he lived his deep faith caring for his family and his community. Rest in Jesus, well done good and faithful one.

Wendy and family, you are in our prayers. With LOTS of love from the Kiecks xx

Dear John Thank you for being a big part of my journey as a teacher. Your legend will always be remembered. You will be greatly missed missed. Rest in peace in God’s heavenly kingdom. Forever grateful Renee

Rest in peace Sir an honour to work with you and will be missed. The jerseys you wore during summer, Peri stashing your favourite fizzy drinks for you in the canteen. The most amazing staff member to work with. Thankyou

Very sorry to have lost the opportunity to meet John. Luke has told me many awesome stories and I was hoping to meet him one day to hear his best teaching anecdotes. Much love and support from Beth, Robbie and Gizmo in Invercargill <3

My condolences to Wendy and family on the tragic, untimely death of John. A wonderful, gifted teacher and colleague. Byron Bentley Principal WHHS 1994- 1999

I’m forever grateful that John shared his knowledge and wisdom with me when I was training to be a teacher. He was always supportive when I became his colleague at WHHS. I was always in awe walking past his classroom to see every student engaged. John made maths accessible to everyone. A true super teacher. My condolences to John’s family. John will be remembered by many.

I am so sorry to hear about the loss of your husband. Lifting you and your boys up in prayer during this hard time.

So saddened to hear this. Sending so much love to Wendy, Luke and Daniel. Jon and Jan Lewis

Massive loss to the community, you were our favourite teacher and made us believe in ourselves and not feel like we were left out in your maths class, not one student left behind, rest easy Mr S. Thank you for you wisdom you passed onto us as students, pretty sure you gave me my first merit/excellence while in your class, I remember I was so stoked for my results! I'm sure many others share the same/similar stories of their own. Much love to you family that you've left behind rest in peace ❤️

What a great teacher with a wicked sense of humour! May you rest in peace and love! Sending love and prayers to his friends and family.

So very saddened to read this news. My thoughts are with you Wendy and your family. Taken far too soon.

Hi john its Amelia here from whhs im going to miss you heaps you will always be in my heart and mind rest in peace

Deepest Sympathy Wendy to you & your boys