Former Catasauqua Mayor Barbara Schlegel and her husband, former councilman Eugene “Gene” Schlegel, recently ended their elected office careers with a combined service of 40 years. Barb served on Catasauqua council for 10 years and served 20 years as borough mayor. Gene was a Catasauqua council member for 10 years.

Decades of commitment is a Schlegel hallmark.

They met in Catasauqua when they were teenagers. Gene was smitten with Barb, who said at that time, “I wanted nothing to do with him.” Gene noted he was persistent in trying to court Barb. She relented, and they began dating.

They’ve been together now for 60 years, with 54 of the years in marriage. They have two children and four grandchildren. They speak with pride and gratitude about their progeny.

Barb began her decades of service to Catasauqua when she was 14 years old as a volunteer member of a youth committee, supporting the development of the Catasauqua YMCA. Over the years there, she taught baton twirling, was a catalyst for an archery program and assisted in developing a ballet program.

As late teenagers, Barb and Gene started Friday night dances at the Y. They were active in Catasauqua Youth Athletic Association and North Catasauqua baseball, band and Catasauqua High School sports as they supported their kids in athletics.

Barb noted her major achievements included working closely with former police chief Douglas Kish as the first female mayor successfully working with an all-male police department. She supported the efforts to update technology and was a strong proponent of the borough’s K-9 program.

She held an annual community yard sale, with proceeds going to help fund the K-9 program. Barb also introduced the National Night Out Against Crime program in the borough.

Barb worked closely with Holy Trinity Memorial Lutheran Church and other churches in Catasauqua, supported the Public Library of Catasauqua and was always available to attend and endorse numerous activities held in Catasauqua.

She spoke with schoolchildren about getting interested in politics and was a strong supporter of the George Taylor House and the borough’s fire police.

Barb said, reflecting on her decades of volunteer and elected service to Catasauqua, that she “had no personal agenda but just worked for the community.”

“I don’t want a pat on the back,” she said. “People know what I did for Catty.”

Gene’s tenure as a Catasauqua volunteer and councilman was his passion for the parks and recreation in Catasauqua. On council, he was the recreation committee chair and was an advocate for the park system in the borough. Gene was the leader of the borough’s Shade Tree Commission and is an Arbor Day enthusiast.

A U.S. Navy veteran, Gene said he was an informal morale officer on board, and he tried to help keep morale up on the ship by organizing games and activities.

“I love making people happy,” Gene noted.

This passion for happiness carried with him after his Naval service days and was a good fit to support recreation as a councilmember. As a volunteer, Gene played the role of Santa Claus for 57 years in the borough and, this past Christmas season, he was the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church Santa.

Barb and Gene, with their deep Christian faith, look forward to the next life chapter. They plan to move out of Catasauqua to live closer to their children.

Their children, Tammy and Eugene Jr., and grandchildren, Jessica, Dominic, Cooper and Emma, are about 35 miles from the borough. They are proud of Emma and Cooper, who play soccer; Dominic, who runs track at West Chester University; and Jessica, who is a 1st lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force as a nuclear missile operations officer.

After volunteer and elected official careers that span more than 100 years, Barb said she and Gene plan to spend time with their family, relax and travel. Their commitment to each other and their family remains and will grow even stronger with the increased time they can spend together.

As the Schlegels celebrate Valentine’s Day in 2026, they are grateful for their many years together, appreciative for their family and honor their religion and their time serving Catasauqua as they enter a well-deserved retirement.