Richard Holt “Dick” Schaefer, 89, of Clearwater, Florida, passed away peacefully on Sunday, November 22, 2020. Dick was born November 10, 1931, in Detroit, Michigan. He grew up in the Philadelphia area and attended Yeadon High School, where he played football and was in the high school band. After graduation, Dick went to Penn State University where he graduated with a BS in Animal Science in 1953. Dick then enlisted in the U.S. Army and was stationed at Camp Chaffee, Arkansas, until October 1955. Once he completed his Army service, Dick moved to Lima, Ohio, where he worked as a mortgage loan appraiser for Prudential Insurance Company. He was transferred to Prudential’s Tampa office in 1971 and retired in 1994. After retirement, Dick moved to Clearwater, Florida, where he lived the rest of his life.
For many years, Dick was a regular blood donor and an active member of the Elks Club, American Legion and the Penn State Alumni Association. He also participated in and helped organize many charity events in his community. He was an avid sports fan including golf, Penn State football and lacrosse, Tampa Bay Buccaneers football and Tampa Bay Rays baseball. Dick also loved to travel, especially by car. He drove across the U.S. and back many times to visit family and friends and to sightsee along the way.
Dick was predeceased by his sister, Barbara, and two ex-wives, Judy Terry, the mother of his children, and Sonja Hearne, the mother of his stepdaughters. He is survived by his daughters, Lynne and Gayle, and his son, Rick, his stepdaughters, Jane and Dana, granddaughter, Erin, grandson, Ricky, niece, Jenny and nephews Jeff, Mike and Doug.
A celebration of life will be held at a later date in 2021 in the Clearwater/Dunedin area. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to: The Pennsylvania State University, Donor Member Services, 2583 Gateway Drive, Suite 130, State College, PA 16801 (checks made payable to “Penn State” with In Memory of Richard Schaefer in the memo). Or, gifts can be sent online at raise.psu.edu/sustainingpride
Our family will miss having Dick over for holidays and all of the Penn State Chapter events. He was so much fun to be around and always willing to help or volunteer when needed.
One of the things I always enjoyed about Dick was hearing his opinions (enough said – lol). We take for granted that someone will always be there and then suddenly they are gone. Knew him over 30 years and will definitely miss seeing Dick at Penn State Events plus our car and sports discussions which besides PSU included the Bucs and Ray’s.
RIP my friend and we know you are now an angel overseeing our beloved PSU Nittany Lions.
Don and I send our thoughts and prayers to Dick’s family. We enjoyed the time we got to spend with Dick as Penn Staters. I loved selling him raffle tickets as he always had something to say to make me laugh. May all the good memories comfort his family.
I will miss Dick and the great energy that he brought to our Penn State Alumni football watch parties and events. My deepest condolences go out to his family.
What a blessing to have had Dick in our lives. He was a loyal Penn Stater, and was a cornerstone of the Suncoast Penn State Club. Always cheerful, with a great sense of humor and quick wit, he was a treasured fixture at Club events. He will be sorely missed. We are sure he and Jo Pa will be sharing notes and opinions and urging on the team!
RIP Dick
We will miss the after-the-game-is-over critiques we shared, “knowing” that we could have done a much better job of coaching the PSU team. I hope Dick is able to provide some pre-game assistance from above. Dick will always be remembered for his smile and his zest for life and will be missed by all who knew him.
Dick was a true and dedicated American who loved his country. I will miss our Friday get togethers at the Elks where we always shared a lot of conversation about Politics, Family, Tampa Bay Rays, Buccaneers and his Elks Family. Dick will be remembered for his Love of Country and his fellow man. Always eager to share his stories as well as to listen to mine. We will miss you Dick but will always cherish our friendship. Rest in peace brother!