William Joseph Schaerfl

William Joseph Schaerfl, husband of Geraldine Schaerfl and father to John Schaerfl, Susie Martin, James Schaerfl, and Mary Castaneda passed away peacefully the evening of May 1, 2025. His final days were spent in loving care surrounded by his family and loved ones. His life served as a testament to his devotion to his family and lifelong dedication to living out his Catholic faith both in word and in deed.
Bill was born on October 11, 1938, in Cleveland, Ohio. He was the son of Joseph Anton and Katherine Schaerfl, both who emigrated to the United States from Austria and Germany. Brother to Matt Paskolovitz, Joseph Schaerfl and Caroline Schaerfl. Bill spent his childhood years in Parma, Ohio and began his stellar work ethic at a very young age delivering newspapers and serving as an altar server at St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church. As a young adult, Bill worked alongside his father at WS Tyler Manufacturing as a draftsman and lead tooling repairman. He joined the US Army Reserves while attending Fenn College and Cleveland Community College and went on to complete his studies at the University of Dayton with an associate's degree in engineering. He then secured a job at Warner & Swasey in tool design. In his free time, Bill dabbled in building sports cars, drag racing, and rebuilding transmissions to name a few.
Bill met the love of his life, Jeri, at a luau in June of 1963, as he gave her a ride home in his infamous green Chrysler 300C. They were married at St. Francis de Sales on May 29, 1965. Soon thereafter, they heard and acted on the Lord's calling to serve Him in a faraway land known as Texas through the Catholic Church Extension Society. They lived and served the Catholic Community in Marathon and Ft. Davis Texas for two years, where they served as parish workers. When Jeri was expecting their first child, they moved to El Paso, Texas in 1967. Bill continued to work as a field supervisor with Extension for the next several years, travelling between 50 different assignment locations in his territory between Mississippi and Wyoming. Bill then started his 15-year career at W. R. Weaver, a rifle scope manufacturer where he was the head of quality control. After Weaver closed its doors in 1985, Bill applied his significant knowledge in engineering, management and quality control to auto manufacturing at Allied Signal/Bendix Safety and then with Dayco/Flexhaust Hoses. Bill was renowned as an expert in machine manufacturing, quality control and efficiency with owners of global companies seeking his guidance and expertise. Some of his favorite stories were of his interactions with various owners and plant employees during his numerous trips to Germany and France. Bill retired in 2006.
During this time in El Paso, Bill and Jeri became involved with the Catholic Charismatic Community of Open Arms, which they were intimately involved for the remainder of their lives. Bill served in many capacities, some of which include adult scripture study, planning and design of the retreat center and serving on the Board of Directors. Open Arms is where they formed lifelong bonds and continued their wholehearted dedication to serving their faith community. Bill and Jeri were also members of the Benedictine Oblates at the Holy Trinity Monastery in St. David, Arizona.
His creative spirit and engineering mind always had Bill working on a project. He hand- fabricated a dune buggy for family fun in the Southwest desert, continued the family wood working tradition of crafting furniture and making wooden crosses that ended up in the hands of friends and family all over the country. He continuously pursued his childhood love of HO model trains throughout his years. His children, grandchildren and great grandchildren spent countless hours with Papa running trains on his giant train layout modeling New Mexico's 1950s era steam and diesel.
Bill faced a major health crisis in 2006, when he had open heart surgery to repair an aortic aneurism and dissection. This surgery and repair added 19 years to his amazing life where he undoubtedly helped many to lead their own lives closer to Jesus. Complications from this heart condition and the onset of dementia eventually led to his health decline in late 2024 and he spent his final months in hospice and being lovingly cared for by his family. Bill is survived by his wife of 60 years, Jeri, his children, their spouses and his grandchildren and great grandchildren: Son John and wife Barbara and grandson Jonathan, his wife Ashley and great grandchildren Madison, Landon and Will. Granddaughter Brooke and great granddaughter Violet. Daughter Susie Martin and husband Rod Martin, granddaughters Ellie, Anna, and Clara. Son James and wife Veronica and grandson James, his wife Jazmin and great grandson Colton. Granddaughter Lorena Byers and husband Cris and great grandchildren AJ, Zena, and Luna. Grandson Joseph Anton. Daughter Mary Castaneda and husband Steve Castaneda and granddaughters Lauren, Madison, Danielle and Hailey. He is also survived by his brother Joseph Anton Schaerfl of Cleveland Ohio and his sister Caroline Schaerfl Baszuk and brother-in-law Peter Baszuk, also of Cleveland, Ohio.
Bill was preceded in death by his parents Joseph Anton and Katherine Schaerfl and his brother Matt Paskolovitz.
A rosary and Mass will be held at Open Arms, 8210 N Loop Drive, El Paso, TX 79907 on Thursday May 8th. The rosary will begin at 3:00pm and Mass at 4:00pm with a pot-luck to follow. A second funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Fredericksburg, Texas with burial directly following at St. Mary's Cemetery. (Date and time will follow)
Donations to honor Bill's life can be made to Open Arms Catholic Charismatic Community, www.openarmscommunity.org
Funeral arrangements under the direction of the Schaetter Funeral Home
Expressions of sympathy may be sent to www.schaetter.com