Wayne C. Schafer

Wayne Curtis Schafer was born on June 23rd, 1944 in Grand Forks, North Dakota to Charles and Cecelia Schafer and went home to the Lord on October 2nd, 2020 surrounded by his family.



The story of Wayne and Jo started when Wayne met Jo at a fall church dinner and wooed her on a first date with tickets to a Minnesota Vikings football game. It must have been God’s providence because they were married nine months later and enjoyed 43 years of marriage.



Vocationally, Wayne worked for 29 years with the FDA as an Investigator and then for Novartis as a quality assurance specialist. His career gave him the opportunity to travel around the world. On the weekends, Wayne taught himself carpentry and woodworking skills as well as picture framing and used these talents to bless his family and many friends in the community. Wayne and Jo built their first house together in Minnesota. After retirement, Wayne enjoyed working with Maple Shadows Construction.



As a father Wayne taught his daughters many life skills. He taught them how to set up a financial budget at age 12, how to prepare for a storm, how to perform a perfect quantitative transfer, and how to MacGyver-fix just about anything. He instilled in them a love for the great outdoors, the value of a good cherry pie, the importance of risk management and assessment, to never wear platform shoes while driving, but to always buy a Honda, and, perhaps most importantly, to always find humor in difficult situations.



As a grandfather Wayne taught his grandkids about compassion and how to love beyond measure. In their own words, he taught Sammy how to clap, Camilla that it’s okay to be silly, Clara how to help other people when they need help, and Joel that even if you have a disadvantage it doesn’t mean you can’t do anything.



With his quiet personality, Wayne’s spiritual legacy in his family shines brightest through his example of faithfulness, generosity, and devotion to God and others.



In late September, Wayne started hospice after bravely battling dementia for eight years. Wayne accepted his harsh diagnosis with grace and dignity. These last years were marked with an increasing ability to be content and enjoy the present.



Wayne was preceded in death by his parents, Charles and Cecelia Schafer; brother and sister-in-law, Gerald and Judy Schafer; nephew Bruce Schafer; and stillborn grandson, Ezra Garrett. Rejoicing in our time with him, and forever impacted by his love are his wife, Jo Schafer; his children and their spouses, Amy Garrett (Mike), Allison Ambané (Emmanuel); his grandchildren, Joel, Clara, and Samuel Garrett, and Camilla Ambané; his niece Beth McGrath and close friends that are just like family.



The celebration of Wayne’s life will be held on Friday, October 9th from 5:00PM to 7:00PM with a Time for Remembrances at 6:00PM at John A. Gentleman Mortuaries Pacific Street Chapel.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to be made to the Alzheimer’s Association.

If unable to attend the service please join the livestream at https://boxcast.tv/view/wayne-c-schafer-odpj1t1nop8td6ushsdl. A picture slideshow tribute will be viewable on the link before his service begins.