Jeffrey David Schaffer was born in Brooklyn, NY on September, 25, 1941 to Edna and Morris Schaffer and was raised in Syosset, NY. He attended Michigan State University, where he earned his BA and MBA in Finance from the School of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism and met his wife Toby Lurie Schaffer. They lived in Lansing, MI where their son Lane Adam Schaffer was born. Jeff worked for Mobil Oil as a Financial Analyst and then for Hotel Corporation of America, where he joined the management training program at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC. In 1967Jeff was transferred to the Royal Orleans in New Orleans, LA as the Director of Management Services. He later took on the same role for the opening of the Royal Sonesta in New Orleans. They welcomed their daughter Stephanie Jill Schaffer during this time. Jeff was the General Manager of the Pontchartrain Hotel from 1970-80. He also served as the President of the Greater New Orleans Hotel-Motel Association and a member of the board of directors of the New Orleans Restaurant Association. He chose to pursue his academic career in Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism and received his Ph.D. in Strategic Management from Virginia Polytechnic University in 1986. At that time Jeff and Toby moved back to New Orleans where Jeff joined the faculty of the School of Hotel Restaurant and Tourism at the University of New Orleans. He later became the Head of the Department and was instrumental in developing a Masters' Degree program for the HRT School. He retired after 30 years. He loved the water and fishing from a young age and always enjoyed sharing his catch with friends. He was a long-time member of the Shell Beach Literary Society. He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Toby Lurie Schaffer, his son Lane Adam Schaffer (Karen Rabinowicz), daughter Stephanie Schaffer Willner (Jeffrey Willner, deceased), grandson Leo Francis Schaffer, sister-in-law Carole Lurie Neiberg. and many nephews and great nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, please honor Jeff with a contribution to either the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Foundation "Get Out and Fish" Program (www.lwff.org) or the St. Tammany Hospital Guild (www.sttammany.health/Volunteer). Please share your memories, tributes and photos at www.forevermissed.com/jeffrey-david-schaffer. An online guestbook is available at www.gracenorthshore.com.

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Published by The Times-Picayune from Mar. 29 to Apr. 3, 2022.

Memories and Condolences
for Jeffrey Schaffer

Sponsored by Grace Funeral Home - Covington.

2 Entries

Ann Harris

March 30, 2022

Toby, Lane and Stephanie,
I am so sadden to learn of Jeff's passing. I have many fond memories of time we spent together, as I know you have as well. Those memories are the legacy of love. My thoughts and prayers are with you all. Love, Ann H.

Harsha Chacko

March 30, 2022

I first met Jeff when he joined the School of HRT at UNO in the late 1980s. Within a few years he was selected as the Director of the HRT Program and led the School for the next 15 years. He was a very capable administrator and I feel that it was during his tenure that the HRT School reached its greatest achievements. He selected a group of faculty who were among the best in the field and led us through accreditation (a big deal!!). Perhaps his greatest achievement was raising the funds to name the School after the great hospitality visionary of New Orleans, Lester E. Kabacoff. I remember those days when we all functioned like a well-oiled machine and achieved a top 20 ranking among HRT Programs in the US.
Jeff and Toby hosted an annual Crawfish Boil for the HRT Faculty and thus we got to know his grown up kids who were visiting and they got to meet our children. My wife Elen and our kids remember him fondly. I will always remember him as a great leader and as a friend.
He was also a talented fisherman and I have been fishing with him on his boat and we always came back with plenty of fish!! In the 1990s we were invited to Belize to provide Tourism Consulting for the Ministry of Tourism and one of our visits included a float down the Belize River where, much to the amazement of the locals, Jeff caught a few of the really elusive fish and we returned to our forest lodge with enough fish for dinner for eight!!

Elen joins me in expressing our sincere and heartfelt condolences to Toby, Lane and family, and to Stephanie. May he forever Rest in Peace.

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