SUE P. SCHAEFER

Sue P. Schaefer Long time resident of San Anselmo, well known Real Estate Broker, and community leader, passed away peacefully at her home on November 4, 2012 in the presence of family and friends. She was 91. Born Sue P. Roberts on October 27, 1921, in Wartrace, Tennessee, she married Lieutenant Paul B. Schaefer in 1941. For the next three years she was on call 24-hours a day to drive a semi-truck and trailer transporting wounded soldier stretcher cases to various hospitals in the Bay area. Although she had to strap wooden blocks onto the semi-truck's pedals to reach them with her 5-foot 2-inch frame, she quickly won the respect of the Dockmaster. Always the cutting edge feminist, she was one of the few women allowed on the docks with the soldiers. To the amusement of her family, she demonstrated her semi-trailer driving ability 40 years later by hopping up onto the running board of her nephew-in-law's logging truck to show him how she could drive it. In the later stages of WWII, Sue was a member of the International Secretariat of the United Nations Conference on International Organization in San Francisco. During her participation, the convention rewrote the Dumbarton Oaks Agreements. The convention ultimately resulted in the creation of the United Nations Charter. After WW II, Sue assumed the duties of an Army officer's wife, joining Paul on assignments around the world. Their first Stacy was born in 1949 in Fort Eustis, Virginia. Their second son Gary was born in 1952, in Frankfurt, Germany, while Paul and Sue were stationed in Greece. From 1956 to 1959 the family was stationed in Thailand where Sue was called upon to take up the position of teaching Thai officers English. In 1960, Sue convinced Paul to settle down in Marin. Inspired by the realtor who sold them their house in San Anselmo, Sue became one of the first women realtors in the County. In 1962, Sue and Paul opened Sue P. Schaefer Realty in Larkspur where Sue became a well known and much revered member of the Larkspur business community. She was active in the Larkspur Chamber of Commerce, Larkspur Lions Club, Marin County Board of Realtors, Marin Coalition, League of Women Voters, and the Business and Professional Women's Business Club. She was the District 4 Regional Vice-president of the California Association of Realtors, President of the Marin County Board of Realtors, and three times president of the Larkspur Chamber of Commerce. In appreciation for her tireless work on behalf of the community, Sue received many awards including: Marin County Woman of the Year 1980 from the Coalition of Business and Professional Woman of Marin, Citizen of the Year 1981 from the Larkspur Chamber of Commerce, Realtor of the Year 1981 from the Marin County Board of Realtors. After Paul's death in 1988, Sue limited her business and civic activities. Through the Marin County Chapter of the Widowed Persons Association of California, she met Howard Crabtree, her traveling companion for the next decade. Starting with their wedding trip to Hawaii in 1993, Sue and Howard spent the next decade traveling the globe taking numerous cruises and tours including trips to Bali, South America, and the Mediterranean, African safaris and extensive tours across both the American and European continents. In 2003, with the loss of her beloved traveling companion, Howard, Sue spent the next decade staying closer to home, choosing instead, to be active in the Marin Chapter of the Widowed Persons Association of California, the Army Counter Intelligence Corps Auxiliary, and several Marin county bridge groups. She is survived by her son Stacy Schaefer of Chico: her son and daughter-in-law Gary and Kathy Schaefer of Greenbrae: her brother Bob Roberts and his wife Gladys of Nashville Tennessee: her grandchildren Emily, Nick, and Elizabeth Schaefer and Lauren Dennewitz; her great-grandchildren Isabelle, Samuel, and Phoebe Dennewitz, and step daughters Jennifer Walsh of San Ramon and Cindy Lamb of Canoga Park. Please join us for a celebration of Sue's life on Saturday, December 15, 1-4:00 PM at Marin Art & Garden, Livermore Pavilion, in Ross. In lieu of flowers; donations on Sue's behalf can be made to Hospice By The Bay, 17 E. Sir Francis Drake Blvd., Larkspur, CA 94939.