Albert Jacob Schafer, 95, of Speedway Indiana, passed away peacefully at home in the company of his beloved daughters, son-in-law and pastor on June 17th, 2022.
He was born on October 25th, 1926 in Chicago Illinois and grew up there, graduating from Lane Tech. He lived in Indianapolis and Speedway Indiana most of his life. He loved vacationing at Camp Arcadia in Michigan where he met his future wife, Marian, in 1954. They were married on July 16th, 1955 and together they had three children, Robert, Susan and Christine. He worked as a tool and die maker for many years at Eversharp and also Foote Brothers Gear & Machine Corp in Chicago. After moving to Indianapolis, he was self-employed owning Elaine’s Candies, then was a quality control inspector for Union Carbide/L-TEC. He loved gardening, especially growing his favorite home-grown tomatoes. He had a life-long love of learning and could be found at the library often. He also loved animals and had many beloved dogs and cats throughout his life.
Of all the things he loved, his family was the most dear to him. He was a wonderful, loving father and instilled in them his love of God and family. Al didn’t know a stranger and had a way of making everyone feel welcome and like they’d know him his whole life. His wife, Marian, was the love of his life, and unbeknownst to most, they had decided to get married a few days after meeting. Their love affair was one for the ages. They preferred to spend time together more than anything else, and always told and showed each other how much they loved one another. They enjoyed dancing, getting together with dear friends, and many family vacations to Camp Arcadia.
Albert was a member of Grace Lutheran Church, Messiah Lutheran Church, and most recently, Our Shepherd Lutheran Church. Though his health prevented him from attending church the past few years, he enjoyed watching services on television and looked forward to the many visits from his church pastors. He will be forever loved and missed, but family and friends are comforted that because of his strong faith in his Lord, he rests in the arms of Jesus in heaven.
He is survived by his daughters, Susan Schafer and Christine (Ron) Peters, and granddaughter, Abby. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife Marian, parents Anna and Jacob Schafer, son Robert Schafer and sister Edna Wenzlaff.
His funeral will be held Saturday, June 25th at Our Shepherd Lutheran Church located at 9201 East CR 100 North in Avon. Funeral services will begin at noon with visitation one hour prior to the service. Burial at Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis will follow.
The family wishes to thank Pastors Matt Douglas, Alan Barber, Dennis Ouellette, Kyle Borcherding, and all staff from Our Shepherd. They also wish to thank all who cared for Albert from Eskenazi Health House calls for Seniors, First Horizon, Premier Hospice and Flanner and Buchanan Speedway, for their dedicated care. Memorial contributions can be made to Camp Arcadia, 3046 Oak Street, Arcadia, Michigan 49613.
