Charles B. Schafer passed away peacefully on the morning of December 26, 2024, in Wellsville, Kansas. He embraced life and loved teasing those around him with his infectious-and playfully mischievous-sense of humor. A friendly man with a quick smile, he wanted to put people around him at ease and enjoy the moment.
During various stages of life, he went by different names. He was known as “Charlie” to most of the world, “Ben” to his siblings and their children, “Mr. Schafer” to his students, “Pop” to his immediate family, and “Grandpa” to his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Charles was born on January 28, 1938, in Fort Scott, Kansas. He was the third of five children born to John and Annabel Schafer. He graduated from Fort Scott High School in 1956.
While attending Fort Scott Junior College, Charles met the love of his life: Rosalie Lorie Stites. She was a 1957 graduate of Parker High School. Two years later, Charles and Rosalie were married at the Methodist Church in Parker, Kansas.
From 1956 to 1964, Charles proudly served in the Kansas Army National Guard. He rose to the rank of Staff Sergeant E-6.
Charles had a knack for all things mechanical. He was also creative and inventive. As a high school student, he began designing and building wooden furniture pieces. While substituting for his shop teacher, he discovered a love for working with young people. In the manner of a sturdy dovetail joint, he combined his natural mechanical abilities with a desire to teach students. He majored in Industrial Arts at Pittsburg State University (then known as Kansas State College of Pittsburg) in Pittsburg, Kansas. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Education degree and a Master of Science degree.
Charles initially taught at Miami High School in Amsterdam, Missouri, before moving on to Central Heights High School in Kansas. For the final 26 years of his 37-year career, he taught in the LeRoy-Gridley School District. He instructed students in a range of industrial arts including welding, wood working, metal foundry, basic automotive care, small engine repair, and drafting.
Charles and Rosalie were married for 59 years. In 1968, they moved from Amoret, Missouri to Richmond, Kansas. They lived in Richmond for more than 50 years and raised their sons there. As supportive parents, they attended baseball games and high school plays among many other events. They were fixtures in the small town and longtime members of the Richmond United Methodist Church. Charles loved working on projects in his shop and taking daily breaks to meet the coffee drinkers at “R and B’s” in Richmond.
In April 2019, Charles moved into Wellsville Health and Rehab in Wellsville, Kansas. With his sociable nature, he was soon at home there. He became one of the home’s better-known characters. It seemed that every staff member and resident knew him. Donning a crumpled straw cowboy hat, he played guitar and sang in the semi-annual Gong Show. And he wore shorts year-round (some pairs were “winter shorts”).
At Wellsville, Charles was known as an inventor, builder, and handyman. He turned his room into a mini-shop with a vice and an assortment of tools and supplies. No longer able to have a woodworking shop, he began building things out of pieces of corrugated cardboard glued together. His cardboard creations included Halloween masks, iPad holders, lecterns, game boards, log cabins, and a bingo board with lights. Scott Averill, owner of Wellsville Health and Rehab, referred to him as “our amazing Charlie.”
Charles was preceded in death by his parents, John F. and Annabel M. Schafer; his older sisters Barbara Mattingly and Joan Baugher; and his wife Rosalie (who died in 2019).
He is survived by his sister Phyllis Smith and brother David A. Schafer. Other survivors include his sons and their children. David D. Schafer, his wife Valerie, of Stonewall, Texas, and his step-daughters Sandra Jacoby and Cindy Jacoby. Dan Schafer, his wife Konnie, of Plainview, Texas, and their children: Galvan and Whitney Schafer; Daniel and Katie Schafer and their sons Bennett and Beau; Kassie Schafer; and Harlan Schafer. Joe Stites and his wife Mindy, of Wellsville, Kansas, and their children Joseph and Ava.
Visitation will take place from 5:00 to 7:00 pm on Thursday, January 2, 2025 at Feuerborn Family Funeral Service in Garnett. Funeral services will be held at 2:00 pm on Friday, January 3, 2025 at the Richmond United Methodist Church in Richmond, Kansas. Burial will follow at the Richmond Cemetery.
Memorial contributions can be made to the Richmond United Methodist Church or the “Wellsville Memorial Fund” in care of Wellsville Health and Rehab.
Condolences may be sent to the family at www.feuerbornfuneral.com.
