Raymond Lowell Schafer's Obituary
Schafer, Raymond Lowell
July 30, 1931 – July 30, 2017
Raymond Lowell Schafer was born 86 years ago in Rochester New York. Named for his mother’s favorite baseball player, Ray Starr and for Lowell Thomas, a news correspondent of those times, he grew up during the Depression. He said they were poor but so was everyone else. Ray was a so-so student but he loved sports. He and his brother were pitchers on the baseball team at West High School. He graduated in 1949. The next year, he attended Carl Hubble’s baseball tryout camp for the NY Giants where he had the honor of pitching to Bobby Thompson and Whitey Lockman. He was an avid follower of UA Baseball, the Cubs, White Sox and AZ Diamondbacks
He briefly attended Brockport State in NY before joining the Navy. During the Korean War he served on the USS Yorktown and Princeton as a first-class aviation electrician’s mate. After Korea, he attended DeVry Institute and the University of Chicago while working for Hallicrafters Radio, where he learned the craft of technical writing.
In 1961, he arrived in Tucson while working for General Dynamics Corp. He was a supervisor in charge of installing radio communication systems for the Titan missile sites in the western United States. Newly married in 1963, he moved his new family to Rochester where he worked for General Railway Signal Company. They returned to Tucson in 1965 and Ray returned to school, graduating from the UA with a degree in business administration in 1967. He then went to work for Burr Brown, a Tucson-based company.
In 1976, Ray was offered a job with Analogic Corp. in the Boston area. He accepted and moved his family east. The Schafers returned to Tucson after 19 months as the climate was not good for his young daughter’s health. He then started his own advertising agency and consulted with various companies, including Burr Brown. He taught classes in advertising and marketing at Pima and Scottsdale community colleges in mid 1970s and was active in 4H, Kiwanis, and barbershop singing.
Married in the summer of 1981 to his best friend and love of his life, they enjoyed 36 years together. They enjoyed spending summers in Pinetop AZ, where Ray taught the grandchildren to fish. They enjoyed traveling and had many interesting adventures. They traveled to Europe, Nova Scotia and around the United States including a fishing trip to Alaska that netted 150 pounds of fish! For his grandchildren, Ray wrote down the story of his life, recording memories which he shared with all.
He once listed on a resume “miscellaneous experiences” that included truck driver, hod carrier, apprentice core maker, electrician, railroad brakeman, caddy, electronic technician, paperboy, bill-of-material writer, dishwasher, housepainter, draftsman, bartender, short-order cook, and amateur brewer, photographer, sculptor, painter. He also was a master woodworker and gardener. Known to his neighbors and family for his tomatoes, tulips, and clocks. He brought joy to all who knew him!
Ray was preceded in death by his parents, Anna and Edward Schafer, his brother Edward, his sister Jean and his beloved daughter Jill. He is survived by his wife, Calista (Lis), his son John (Stacey) of Gilbert, step-children Sam Barnhill (Darcy) of Colorado, Meg Gebert (Dave), Jim Barnhill (Tina), Patty McDonald, Michelle Lewis, and niece Libby Lonergan of Tucson. Ray is survived by 12 grandchildren—Shelby Blu and Gracie Ray Schafer, Melissa Hulls (Brandon), Matthew Gebert (Jessica), Kevin Gebert (Whitney), Zachary Barnhill, Lucas Barnhill, Wes Barnhill, Sean Lonergan, Erin Lonergan, Kyle McDonald, Curt McDonald—and 2 great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his sister-in-law Dona Schafer and family in Duluth, Minnesota.
A celebration of Ray’s Life will be held at 2 p.m. September 30th at New Spirit Lutheran Church, 8701 E. Spanish Trail in Tucson.
Donations may be made to The NSLC building fund, the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona, or your favorite charity.
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