Carolyn Shaefermeyer

Carolyn Schaefermeyer passed away Wednesday, September 24, 2025 from Alzheimer's. She was 85. Carolyn was born May 13, 1940 in Hudson, Florida.
Predeceased by: Reimer "Bucky" Spikes (husband), Wayne Venard (brother), Diane Schaefermeyer (step-daughter), Michael W Maloy (ex-husband and father of children), Adrian "Bud" Schaefermeyer (husband), and Theresa Bopp (sister)
Survived by: Wendy (Maloy) & Jeff Stanley, Norm & Maria Maloy, Annie (Schaefermeyer) & Joe Bilancioni, David Schaefermeyer, 11 grandchildren, 5 great-grandchildren and nephew Chris & Melissa Bopp.
The family will not be having a service at this time, but will do something next year when they spread her ashes in the Gulf. In Lieu of flowers please donate to The Alzheimer's Association or plant a tree through the Brewer Funeral link.
Carolyn grew up in New Port Richey, Fla. where her father built houses. He would finish building a house, then put that house up for sale along with the one they lived in. They would live in whichever house didn't sell first. She was very close with her cousins Gayl and Pam Venard. She said when Theresa was born they would take turns having Theresa on their laps as they crocheted.
Carolyn graduated from Gulf High School where she played clarinet in the band. There were 29 graduates in her class - 4-5 Carolyns and 4-5 Barbaras, supposedly all named after Barbara Stanwick or her character Carolyn from a popular 1940 movie. She maintained her friendships with her classmates throughout her life.
Carolyn married Riemer "Bucky" Lane Spikes when she was 18 but divorced shortly after. In 1961, she married Michael Wayne Maloy before he was activated by the Army and left for Texas. They stayed long enough in Tx to have their first child, Michele Wendy, in July of '62. When they returned to Fla. they purchased the house that she lived in for most of her life. Michael Norman was born the day after his dad's birthday in December of '63. The family had many adventures on their boat, The NorWen, and an airplane they owned. At one point, Carolyn ran a pet store that was located in the Southgate shopping center. She also was a girl scout leader first for her sister, Theresa, and later for her daughter Wendy.
In the early '70's, Carolyn divorced Mike and remarried Bucky. She worked as an architect for his small construction business. She volunteered for the Gulf High School Marching Band and was in charge of running the snack shack. She was a favorite chaperone for the boys on the two band trips we took out of state. Carolyn would later help at H&R Block during the busy tax season and at the polls during voting times - she enjoyed this as she was able to catch up with neighbors. Carolyn and Bucky would stay married until his passing in 1981.She would commiserate with an old friend, Bud Schaefermeyer, as he had lost his wife recently also. The couples had known each other through the husbands belonging to the same ham radio club years earlier. Eventually they married and Bud's 3 adult children were added to the extended family. Carolyn became an instant grandmother to Bud's grandchildren and the only grandma the later grandchildren ever knew.
To keep herself busy, Carolyn joined DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) and later served as president of local chapter for a time. She volunteered in the ice cream shop at her mother's nursing home where her days of being a soda jerk as a teenager came in handy - people only wanted milkshakes when Carolyn was making them. She was active with a group of ladies who had met at Walmart's craft area. They would get together on Wednesdays to work on their own individual craft projects, help each other with knitting problems, or do projects for Hospice such as making angels to hang on doors, adult bibs, lap blankets or whatever else hospice needed them to do.
Carolyn was diagnosed with Early Onset Alzheimer's Disease around 2014 so when Bud passed away in 2017 Theresa moved in with her as she couldn't live alone at that point. In 2018, she required skilled nursing care and was in two different facilities. A big shout out to Shell Isle for providing excellent care during her final days. A hug Thank You to Pam & Gerald VanDoorn. Pam was Theresa's best friend for over 50 years. They were there to help with the house, visit Carolyn and, most importantly, with her during her final moments.