Dr. Jan "Doc" Scholer

Jan “Doc” Scholer was a beloved husband, dedicated father, hero to his grandchildren, and a loyal friend and mentor to countless. He was taken much too early, but he left a wonderful legacy and a lasting impression on all who knew him. He was an accomplished scientist, laboratory director, businessman, restauranteur, and martial artist, but his greatest accomplishment if you had asked him would be the family that he and his wife Tricie built. Jan was fiercely proud of his family, which included his children and grandchildren but extended to neighborhood kids, employees, and friends. To know Jan was to be a part of his family. 

Jan was born in Holland in 1955 and moved to Augusta at the age of 13 not knowing any English. He graduated from Westside High School at age 16 and Augusta College at age 19 with a degree in Biology and minors in Math and Chemistry. He attended the Medical College of Georgia and earned a doctorate in Anatomy with a focus in Endocrinology. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Center for Brain Research at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, New York, and there became an American Citizen. He taught at LSU Medical School in New Orleans for several years before moving back to Augusta, Ga to start an In Vitro Fertilization program and take over the hormone assay laboratory started by his father Dr. Henk Scholer. He was part of the team that conducted the first successful In Vitro Fertilization in the state of Georgia. On top of running his laboratory for 30 years, Jan and his wife Tricie opened and operated successful restaurants, Wild Wing Café and later Doc’s Porchside, for almost 20 years. He was an active member of his community, contributing to and serving on the boards of numerous charities, and always wanting to give back and serve. He also earned his pilot’s license, and over the course of over 20 years earned a 4th degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do.

If you asked him about any of his accomplishments, he would be happy to talk to you about them, but his achievements were not as important to him as the person standing in front of him asking him questions. Anybody who knew him knew that he was one of the smartest men they ever met, but that he also had a heart to match his brain. Jan loved people and he did everything he could for whoever he considered a friend. He loved his extended family, beach trips, travelling, exercise, toasting a drink, holidays with family, hunting and fishing, and having fun. He always had time for anybody that needed some of his, whether it was for advice, a conversation, or just a need to break away and have fun. He was extremely competitive when it came to anything physical, especially with his children, brothers in law, and his son in law. 

In lieu of flowers do something that Jan would have done and think of him while you do it. Have a beer with a friend. Go for a morning run. Take your kid’s friend fishing or hunting. Toast a glass of port. Contribute to a charity. Let go and have some fun. Help somebody. Shake hands really hard and give a big hug. Get in a pushup contest. Go for a motorcycle ride on a Harley. Grill the best steak known to man. Whatever you decide to do, do it hard and do it all the way, because that’s how he would have done it. 

A funeral Mass will be celebrated on Monday, November 4, 2024, at 11:00 A.M. at St. Mary on the Hill Catholic Church. Interment will follow in Westover Memorial Park.

The family will receive friends on Sunday, November 3, 2024, from 3:00 until 5:00 P.M. at the funeral home. Thomas Poteet & Son Funeral Directors, 214 Davis Rd., Augusta, GA 30907 (706) 364-8484. Please sign the guestbook at www.thomaspoteet.com.