Calista D. Schafer's Obituary
Calista Donohoe Schafer (1936-2025)
With sadness for our loss and joy for a life well-lived, we announce the passing of a wonderful woman, Calista Donohoe Schafer. She died on September 9th at home surrounded by her family, after a 5-year battle with cancer.
She was born in Anaconda, Montana, to Carroll and Margaret Donohoe in 1936. She lived in Montana and Nevada before her father’s mining career took the family to Cananea, Mexico. She graduated early from Brownmoor School for Girls in Phoenix and attended the University of Arizona. She was a member of Gamma Phi Beta. She met and married Bob Barnhill and began a family in Tucson. When they divorced, she went back to school and earned her degree in nursing, all while raising 5 kids. She remarried in 1981, when she met the love of her life, Ray Schafer. They were married for 35 years, until his death.
Lis or Lee, depending on when you knew her, was an amazingly talented and courageous woman. She rose to meet life’s challenges, discovering strengths she did not know she had along the way. She worked at Tucson Medical Center in the Cath lab. She was a Girl Scout leader and even hiked the Grand Canyon with her girls! She was an artist with fabric and enjoyed creating quilts as gifts. She was a gardener, following in her father’s footsteps, and grew tomatoes and tulips with Ray. She volunteered for the Tucson Visitor Center. She was a voracious reader and enjoyed sharing books. She loved doing word puzzles and said they kept her brain sharp.
Calista is survived by her 3 daughters, Meg Gebert, Patty McDonald, and Michelle Lewis, and her 2 sons, Jim (Tina) Barnhill and Sam (Darcy) Barnhill. The extended family includes a dozen grandchildren, many great-grandchildren, and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Services and a reception will be held on October 24th at the New Spirit Lutheran church at 8701 E. Old Spanish Trail at 11:00 am. Our thanks to Casa de La Luz for all their support. Donations in her name may be given to Doctors without Borders, Girl Scouts of Southern Arizona, or the Community Food Bank.
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