Birth date: Mar 19, 1949 Death date: Aug 21, 2020
John Joseph Schafer, affectionately known as Jack to those who knew and loved him, went home peacefully surrounded by his loving wife and children on August 21, 2020 at the age of 71 after several years of declining health. One of Read Obituary
We are just finding out about the services now and apologize for not being there. We would have never missed it had we known. Kenny has many great memories of coaching football with Jack. I was truly honored when he would let me be in charge of the snack stand during his games. On Sundays he had everything set up for me when I
got there and of course Sundays with Sinatra was playing on the radio. I always teased him about it. He threatened me saying if it wasn't still on when he got back in the stand, I was in serious trouble. Eventually I took the stand over full-time. This is one of my favorite memories, along with the Prom speech at football!
I am truly sorry we missed the service. You are all in our thoughts.
Kenny and Kim Loomis
Some of my favorite memories are working with Uncle Jack at the Depot Deli. He showed me you could work hard but still have fun. Sometimes we would go from the Deli to the Old English. “Fridays with Frank” were the best. Uncle Jack would try to sing while making the Friday night special, NY Strip and baked potato. Johnny Mathis never sounded better than when Uncle Jack sang “Chances Are”.
I remember one Christmas he called me. He and Aunt Joan had family over at the deli for Christmas dinner. He asked me if I wanted to come over to do the dishes and he would give me a few bucks. I said sure but he laughed and said he was kidding and just hung up. No Merry Christmas.
At every family party, he would ask the worlds best DJ, me, to play a Cha Cha for him and Aunt Joan.
I remember him coming into Mom Mom’s house, carrying each of his kids like a football, never dropping one but making Mom Mom very nervous.
Uncle Jack, for a tough guy you were always kind and caring to everyone.
Rest In Peace, Sal
My Uncle Jack. He was one of those people that I find myself thinking about often and being amazed at how much of an impact he had on my life. He was the toughest guy I knew and he secretly loved that I also knew what a softie he was. Not many people can pull that off but Uncle Jack was one of a kind. I always felt special around Uncle Jack like we had this unspoken bond but I imagine he made most people feel that way. Whether it was making a lobster dinner for his “favorite” niece (sorry siblings and cousins) or letting me practice driving on a gravel road In the woods with a van full of kids, Uncle Jack always knew how to make me feel loved and important. If Uncle Jack was on your side, you were invincible and he was always on my side. Some time after his stroke I came home to visit and I was nervous to see Uncle Jack. But his face lit right up and I knew that he knew it was me. Even then, he knew how to make me feel special. I’m so glad God gave him to me as an Uncle and I will miss him so much. Aunt Joan, Sean, Maura, Ryan and Colin, for the past 13 years you and your families have shown what true love is. I know Uncle Jack is looking down at all of you right now and smiling.
Tough, hard working, family man with a great sense of humor. This is what you’ll hear from everyone who ever met my dad. Him and my mom were cut from the same cloth, they didn’t believe in short cuts and they put family first. When I was younger I would love to sit around the aunts and uncles during family parties and hear them tell stories about dad. I felt so much pride to have him as my dad because I could tell they all respected and loved him. I must of heard the same stories told by them a hundred times but every time they started with “ remember when Jack did this” I was parked right there hanging on to every word like it was the first time I heard it. When we were younger we would stay up late to see what he would bring home from the restaurant for us. He never disappointed. A lot of doctors probably wrote him off after his first stroke, but he bounced back better than anyone thought he would, proving once again but not for the last time that you could never count Jack Schafer out. After that first one he loved to order a big lunch and watch the Eagles games with us. Loved to go to parties and hold court. Loved to see pictures of his grandson and with a huge grin say “ looks like me!” You taught me a lot, your were a great dad and all I can hope for is that I end up half the man you were. God finally gave you peace but I know that’s not the end. For a long time to come you’ll hear from around a fire pit up the Poconos, at a Christmas party filled with family, at a pool surrounded by your brothers and sisters, or somewhere from someone you met, “Remember when Jack “. If I didn’t end with a movie quote you would probably be disappointed so, I’ll see you again my friend,,, but not yet, not yet.
Love you buddy, thanks for everything.
Our brother-in-law Jack was truly a legend....busy, hard-working, generous and kind and a Dad who adored his beautiful family unconditionally to the core and took pride in all of their accomplishments. A testament to his love and devotion was evident when he fell ill and his amazing wife and all of his children rallied around him and cared so lovingly for him each and every day as he suffered through thirteen years of failing health after a devastating stroke. Jack enjoyed having fun and we will never forget the twinkle in his eye and the little smirk that would precede one of his many pranks. The world was surely blessed with Jack and now Heaven calls him home. Rest In Peace, Dear Jack, and know how much you were loved!
The one memory of my dad I want to share is one of my favorite memories in my life. While there are many great ones about him to choose from, this memory had a lot of personal meaning to me. It was around the end of 2017. Almost a full year after Dad’s second stroke. It was difficult to gage how much of him was there after the second, but he always had his moments of letting you know he was still Dad. Lori and I had found out we were having a baby and I wanted to share the news of his second grandchild with him before anyone else since we were keeping it secret the first couple of months. I knew he couldn’t rat me out.
So, while I was alone in the room with him at my parent’s house, I held up a picture of the ultrasound. My phone wasn’t the biggest or best quality and we all know the Schafer’s eye sights aren’t the greatest, and he was no exception. The strokes didn’t do his vision any favors and his communication skills weren’t great, so I didn’t expect much of a reaction as I held up this blurry black and white photo.
But as I held it up for him to see, his eyes immediately filled with tears, and a big smile appeared. He knew exactly what he was looking at and knew exactly what it meant to him. What I didn’t know is how much that reaction would mean to me. He was still there.
The guy took a beating those last couple of years, but he still fought through to make the most of what he had. He ate himself full during Thanksgiving at Mom mom’s, he stole cookies from the Christmas parties at Joe and Tom’s, he compared siblings’ appearances at Uncle Bill and Aunt Denise’s holiday parties, watched a football game at Williamson, he took in the sea air and bacon wrapped scallops at Cathy’s in Wildwood. He even snuck a few sips of Crown at Aunt Ellen and Uncle Kell’s summer shindigs. And after all those hardships I just listed, he found the time to enjoy some of the finer moments in life. He saw the Phillies and Eagles win a championship. He danced at his first son’s wedding. He was right outside the delivery room for his first grandson’s birth. He got to enjoy photos of all his children getting married and got to smile at his second and third grandkids, and to enjoy hearing the news of his fourth. Even just a month ago, he was blowing kisses at Natalie and smiling at Sean and Ellie chasing each other around up the Poconos.
We all remember the great guy he was before the strokes but it’s nice to know that same guy was there all the way up to the end. In a way, he was forced to take a retirement he never would have given himself. He had a long run there to enjoy movies, TV, music, and food, all while relaxing. And most of all, he got to spend that time with family and friends, which was always the most important thing to him. Who knows if it was his toughness or his stubbornness that kept him going all those years, but we’re glad he did. It’s hard to say if he was the lucky one to be there for those moments, or if we were all the lucky ones for having him around.
I couldn’t imagine having a better dad. You will be missed.
Love you Dad.
Uncle Jack was always one of my favorite Uncles because of his kindness, generosity, contagious laugh, humour, work ethic, and his love for his family and all those around him. I absolutely loved going to visit Aunt Joan and Uncle Jack even though he called me “boats” every time I saw him because he thought my feet were bigger than his 😂 He was definitely a character and made me laugh a lot with his sarcasm and his funny looks. Uncle Jack was such a stand up guy and his work ethic and toughness were very admirable qualities. He was always looking to help others and his children were his Stanley Cup! Never did a visit go by without a hockey game in the background, delicious home cooked food, and Sinatra music! One of my favorite memories was going to parties at the Schaefer pool. Uncle Jack always threw us up the highest and one time I swore I was going out of the pool! His nieces and nephews admired him greatly and always knew where they could go for the fun! Uncle Jack was courageous, tough, and loved Aunt Joan and his children unconditionally. He is someone I talk about often to my children and I know his memory will always live on. Rest In Peace Uncle Jack......you made this world a better place and we love you!
Jack is a huge inspiration to so many people. He instilled work ethic, pride, toughness, and so much more to kids in this town. Not only was he a hell of a football coach, he was a mentor, a role model and a dear friend to the Loomis family. We lost a good man and he will be deeply missed. I will always remember his speeches as a coach. “Time to go to the prom” anyone who played for him knows the rest. Our deepest condolences to the Schafer family.
Sean Loomis
