Clare Schaeffer

SCHAEFFER Clare (nee Kritz), 92, died March 30, 2011 in Tucson. Born the fifth of six children to Cantor Aaron Kritz and Anna Denoff Kritz in Chicago. Clare married Albert Schaeffer in 1942, a year after he enlisted in the Army. When he returned from three years of WWII combat in Europe, they raised two sons, David and Leonard, then resettled in Tucson. There, Albert resumed his legal practice until his death ten years ago, while Clare worked at the career she had begun in Chicago, as a gerontology therapist, and continued into her 80's. Based at Tucson's Handmaker Center for the Aged, she developed her innovative "Reality Orientation Through Music" therapy system, to stimulate physical and mental activity and awareness in the residents. Her highly successful results led to demonstration tours in Geriatric Centers across the US and in Europe, where her techniques are still practiced. Meanwhile, her two sons collaborated in recording a collection of original songs, written and sung by Leonard, Today, 40 years later, their CD is still internationally marketed. Sadly, both sons died at too young an age, but each first married and were fathers of Clare's three beloved grandchildren, Amy Fotino, now in Warwick, New York with her husband, Joseph, and their three sons, Andrew, 14, Nick, 11 and Joey, 8; Emily Bauer, in Richmond, Virginia, with husband, Matthew and their year old son, William and Avram Schaeffer, in Austin, Texas with wife, Shaina and daughter, Sadie, almost 2. 23 years ago, Clare and Albert, endowed a Scholarship Fund at the U. of Arizona in memory of their two sons, the Leonard and David Schaeffer Guitar Competition. It was their hope that this Fund could continue helping talented musicians launch their careers for many more years, As Clare asked, her memorial service will be private and her ashes will be scattered in Sabino Canyon near those of her sons, by Clare's brother, Robert and her loving and devoted friends, Carolee and Daniel Asia, Diane Simmons and Robert Zweig. Clare also asked that a notice be included in her obituary, thanking and sending her love to Mary Schmitt, Pamela Lusk, Suellen Aronson and Patricia Singleton, who cared for and nurtured Clare for many months with sensitivity, concern and love, right up to the end. Arrangements by BRING'S BROADWAY CHAPEL, 6910 E. Broadway.