RUSSELL SCHAEFER

Russell Schaefer, of Atascadero, CA, died on Sunday, September 26, 1999 at the age of 80. He was born April 7, 1919. He was married to Bernice Stadem on May 8, 1943. He was a director of a Bible School in Atascadero. He is survived by his wife, and one son and daughter-in-law, and two grandsons, and wife of one grandson. There will be a memorial service. (Let us all remember this family in our prayers.)--taken without names from the Stadem newsletter, DEN STADEM SAMTALERAN, September 1999.

A memorial was presented to Russell's memory at Plain View Farm Reunion, July 4th, 2000, by his son and daughter-in-law. This memorial was Russell's desire, that it be held at Plain View Farm, as his only formal obsequies. A prior rite took place, however, according to his will. His ashes were deposited at sea by his son and family. The following will attempt to draw a brief but accurate profile of this uncommon life.

Once on a visit to his wife's sister's home (that of Pearl Ginther) in Washington State, Russell Schaefer cared to recall an amusing memory of his boyhood, though it was not a happy boyhood. His father, it must first be explained, was a logger in the forests of the Upper Midwest, and the life of loggers was brutal and often dissolute, for they were taken advantage of by the companies they worked for and exploited by the saloons that always seemed to be a part of a logger's life. Despite his father's condition, he must have been a man of color and some charm, for he took a dog with him into the saloons, and he taught it to perform tricks and also drink beer poured into its mouth, which made the dog quite a hit with everyone. But there was probably little else that Russell could share with people about this time. He was forced to run from his home at an early age, while in his teens. He landed in Hawaii. There he came into the care of fine Christians connected with a Bible school. This saved Russell in every way, for now he found Christ as his Savior and also anchored his young, homeless life in solid Bible teaching and Christian fellowship, with plenty of good male peers to model himself after.

Some years ago, sad and shocking news of Russell's father's sudden death reached the Stadem relationship. He had chosen to exit life in a violent way, by his own hand. Attending the funeral of a father he may well have loved but could not live with, Russell was chagrined to hear the scheduled pastor make the observation that his father's death was the will of God. He could not accept this, and said so. It would have dishonored his father if he had remained silent, which he chose not to do. In this way he paid his last honor to his father. Passing time sometimes plays tricks, we all know, with memory and events, but this is the best, to our knowledge, we can offer of this incident.

Russell married Bernice Stadem, and they made their home in Southern California, and then later moved to Atascadero, California, where they remained to the end of their happy and productive lives. Russell devoted his great energy and scholarly mind to a combination of educational, pastoral, editorial and writing tasks and responsibilities, while maintaining a creative and original lifestyle with his loving wife and son. He owned unusual cars, loved his English bulldogs, boated in a Chinese junk, printed and wrote books of biblical research, spoke at many churches and conferences, spent many hours at his hobby of photography, and was a host to countless people who enjoyed his fellowship, wit, pastoral wisdom, and hospitality. Always a handsome man, he dressed informally but tastefully, and usually had a hearty smile to give people. His love of wife and family, his love of travel, natural beauty and adventure, was always evident.

It is always best, if possible, to let the subject of the memorial speak for himself. This is Russell Schaefer's Christmas 1983 letter:

And the WORD (the communicating medium of God) became flesh and tented among us, and we gazed at His glory, a glory as of an only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14.

Webb-Peblee well wrote: "Grace is the impartation of God to all that need out of the bounty of His absolutely immeasurable love." Grace is God's character magnified, Christ's work exemplified and the absolute sovereign method of God's dealing with the world. Truth, it is AMAZING GRACE, in the PERFECT CHRIST, and in His complete work. It is a message worthy of God, for all times and to all people.

This past year has had its full of laughter and tears. The house rang with laughter from our guests' football and baseball players. There were wedding bells ringing in the living room, with exploration of the sea-coast and mountains--with South Holland friends looking at the tall trees. Then the tears of parting, not only of friends but Be's parting with her mother, one of the finest women I have known [Mama Bergit Stadem passed away, age 98, in Bryant, SD.]. She slipped away and left us in late September. When I last visited her in her S. Dakota home a few years ago, she forgot I was in the house and as she sat at the table she folded her hands and prayed aloud. I captured that picture but more, it was the source of her beautiful life. [Website guests, please use link below to see the picture made of Russell's photograph by Bart Lindstrom, the portrait painter in Tennessee] She didn't make a hundred years but her 98 were close, but she filled the measure full in the lives of those that loved her and were beloved.

Both of our grandchildren water-ski, the youngest conned into it by the promise of driving a ski-boat. It worked. They are now 7 and 10 years of age. We expect them all to be here near the holidays. My son is still with Lockheed, and his wife finds herself coaching sports at the kids' school. We haven't seen their three-family owned house-boat yet, but maybe next year. Be's Christmas sale is now history. It was held in a wet, cold two days, so the returns were less than last year's, but she is thankful it went as well as it did. One last word, we love you all, so take care. In His great grace and love, Be and Russ

"Rainbows"* by Russell Schaefer

There is a rainbow around my shoulders

It lifts me up above

Its colors reflect the glory of God's enduring love.

Rain droplets simmer

To form a rainbow in the sky.

So too, the sunshine of God's love and grace

Through the tears a radiance casts,

The promise of His commitment to me

Will forever last.

There is a rainbow of His glory around my shoulders

In my heart, a ray of that other land

A longing for another day

With Christ, to forever stay.

--Russ

---

*Inspired by the song by Al Jolson that went, "There is a rainbow around my shoulders, it fits me like a glove; rain or shine, the world's all mine, for I'm in love." How much better are Russell Schaefer's lyrics!

---

Russell's homegoing to heaven was well assured, because he believed absolutely for his salvation in the complete sufficiency of Christ's death on the Cross and its grace won by the shed blood of our Savior. He lived a triumphant, victorious Christian life, being taken in ripe old age from his beloved wife, son, daugher-in-law, and two grandsons late in 1999. His life could have been a tragedy, ending if not exactly like his father's than like so many derelicts from the violent, alcohol-soaked camps of the logging companies, but the hand of God was on Russell Schaefer from a very young age to the golden finish. Amazing and Ever-Faithful Grace drew him out of the pit of the society of the logging days, protected him in his wanderings as far as Hawaii, and sustained and guided him through his education and development of his many abilities and through all the years of a long marriage and career as God's Bible scholar and minister and Christian printer and author. He departed from this life leaving behind an enduring legacy in the hearts and lives of all he touched. His wife followed him less than a year later, rallying in her strength so that she was able to attend the Reunion of July 2000 and take part in the Stadem-Schaefer memorial to the wonderful and great man in her life.

---

Dear Fellow Traveler in Time, if you have not yet asked the complete and sufficient Christ that Russell Schaefer and his wife knew and loved all their lives, why not invite Him in today, to take up residence in the center of your heart as Lord and Savior? "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved." Many people want to be saved, but they do not know how. Now you know how, and how simple it is that God made salvation, or "justification by faith alone," so you can make YOUR choice, that only you can make. It's your earthly and eternal destiny at stake. "Today, now is the day of salvation." Do not put it off, friend. You cannot count on a "better time." And you cannot improve yourself to be accepted by God whose standards surpass all human attainment and goodness. Come as you are, as the song, "Just as I am," says. You will never, as Russell and Bernice Schaefer showed us so richly over the course of many years, make a better decision for your life! Their happy, loving, unselfish, and fruitful lives are more than ample proof that Jesus Christ is the only true, vital Source of any meaningful life that will entend not only through a whole lifetime but from here to eternity!

---

Links to other sites in these Websites

In Memory Of Central
New Pages and Links for Return Visitors
Plain View Farm Master Directory
Tribute to Bart Lindstrom
Plain View Farm Road Map
Butterfly Productions

Copyright(c) 2002, Butterfly Productions, All Rights Reserved

Please Email Us At:

Klarion@webtv.net

---

This page hosted by Get your own Free Home Page