Lisa Zegger Schaeffer

1968 - 2019

Lisa Zegger Schaeffer (51) of Alamo, California, passed away on November 20, 2019, following an extended, courageous battle with pancreatic cancer. Born in Schenectady, NY on March 16, 1968 to the late John L. Zegger and Jean B. Zegger, Lisa attended Linton High School and Hamilton College where she earned a B.A. in Economics and a minor in Art History, graduating Cum Laude with honors in Economics. She spent a semester studying in Strasbourg, France and enjoyed extensive travel throughout Europe. After working in finance in New York City, which remained one of her favorite places, she pursued graduate studies, obtaining an MBA from the Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley. Lisa worked in investment banking for Dean Witter in San Francisco, followed by nearly 20 years with Wells Fargo Real Estate Finance, progressing to Senior Vice President. Lisa met her husband of 22 years, John D. Schaeffer, while in business school. They married in 1997 and had three beautiful boys who were her pride and joy. Lisa had diverse interests. With a great love of the arts, Lisa studied violin starting at age 8 and played with the Empire State Youth Orchestra, Schenectady Symphony and Hamilton College Orchestra. The latter included an especially memorable tour performing in Romania and Bulgaria in 1987. Lisa enjoyed being active - especially playing on teams and leagues in tennis and running throughout her lifetime. Lisa loved to cook and to read, and she usually had creative projects in the works in sewing, needlepoint, or quilting. Her family vacationed together in Nantucket in the summer and skied in the winter. Lisa treasured her family and friends and was deeply devoted to her three sons. She was eternally grateful for all the love and support of her family, friends, community, St. Isidore Church and medical teams throughout her battle. Lisa is survived by her husband, John D. Schaeffer, her sons John Ryan "Jack" (17), William Matthew "Will" (15), and Daniel Luke "Danny" (13) Schaeffer; a beloved dog Ollie; her mother, Jean B. Zegger; two brothers Paul (Kelly) and Ray (Gretchen) Zegger; a sister, Nina Zegger; nieces Alexandra, Cate and Claire Zegger and nephew John Zegger. Her surviving extended family includes George and Kim David, Kelly and Greg Pitts (Wyatt, Serena), and Jayne Schaeffer. A Memorial Service was held at St. Isidore Catholic Church in Alamo, CA on December 14, 2019, followed by a reception. Donations may be made in Lisa's memory to support the work of Dr. Diane Simeone, Director of the Pancreatic Cancer Center at NYU Langone Medical Center and Chair of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network's National Scientific and Medical Advisory Board. Checks should be made to NYU Langone Health; write Dr. Simeone / Pancreatic Cancer on the memo line and state on the check or in a note that the gift is in memory of Lisa Z. Schaeffer. Mail to: Patricia Jasper-Zellner, Office of Development, NYU Langone Health, One Park Avenue, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10016. Charitable gift tax ID#: 13-3971298