Lasting Memories

John P. Schaefer
Dec. 22, 1932-July 24, 2024
Palo Alto, California

John Peter Schaefer, a resident of Palo Alto for over 50 years, died peacefully at home on July 24th at age 91. Born December 22, 1932, in Luanshya, Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia), where his father, Peter Schaefer, worked in copper mining, John’s early years were shaped by his father’s early death, triggering a return to the U.S. Raised by his mother, Polly (Amelia P) Schaefer, with brother Bill, in Santa Monica, California, John enjoyed summers with dear family in Fresno, and at Shaver Lake, sparking a lifelong love of the outdoors.

John graduated from Stanford University in 1954 with a degree in chemistry, spent a year at Caltech, and served in the Army as a pharmacist’s assistant in occupied Germany. Upon returning to San Francisco, he met his future wife, Mary Louise Carey. John had a long career with Chevron Chemical Company, working in San Francisco, Ohio, New Jersey, and Kentucky, eventually retiring in 1991 as Vice President of the Oronite business.

A devoted husband, avid backpacker, fly fisherman, reader, gardener, and traveler, John was a firm and supportive father and beloved by those around him. A lifelong friend described him as “a gentleman in every respect, a source of good humor, and one of the most admirable men I’ve ever known.”

Predeceased by his wife Mary in Jan. 2024, and his brother Bill in 2017, John is survived by his three children—Elizabeth (Z'bet) Schaefer (Yuksel Duman), Katherine Schaefer Cleland (Todd), and Richard Schaefer(Anne)—and four grandchildren.