Robert H. Schaefer

1923 - 2020

Robert H. Schaefer

Pleasant Valley - Robert Hugo Schaefer, 96, passed away peacefully at home on April 3, 2020. Bob was born in 1923 on a farm in Pleasant Valley, his birth attended by neighboring midwives. The son of German immigrants Rudolph and Marie Ross Schaefer. He lost his father when he was just 2 years old. As a boy, he attended a one-room schoolhouse, the Shady Dell School, on Netherwood Road in Pleasant Valley. As a youth, he hunted and trapped animals for pelts to sell for spending money.

Bob worked on the family farm and graduated from Franklin Delano Roosevelt High School. At a local dance he met Irene Mattias, whose parents owned a nearby farm, and they married on Sept. 5, 1948 at Pleasant Plains Presbyterian Church. Their honeymoon was a cross-country road-trip to California in a Model- "A" Ford. Irene predeceased him in 2013.

Bob was a man of many talents. When he was first married, he bought a second-hand truck and hauled 100-lb. cans of milk from area farms to DairyLea in Poughkeepsie, every day in all kinds of weather. He was an active member of the Fallkill Grange in his younger years, and also was on the committee to find suitable property on which to construct the new Netherwood Elementary School. He served as an elder at Pleasant Plains Church for many years.

He built his first house for himself and Irene, and later he built a larger home where he and Irene raised their growing family and tended vegetable gardens and animals. He also built houses for his children, and the manse for the Pleasant Plains church.

Bob spent 25 years at Western Publishing Co. in Poughkeepsie, working as a bookbinder. Before he retired, he decided to try his hand at growing Christmas trees. This began a 40-year tradition for many area families, who would return every December to cut a tree. He became a member of the NYS Christmas Tree Growers Association. He kept a small herd of black Angus cattle for many years and could be seen working in the hay fields for hours after his shift at Western had ended.

He was a natural conservationist, who loved and respected wildlife and was a keen observer of the natural world. He was a steward of the land, and his children and grandchildren inherited the precious gift of his love of nature. He enjoyed camping and made trips to the Adirondacks with his family every year.

Robert is survived by his son R. Christopher Schaefer of Albany and partner Linda, daughter Denise Byrnes and husband Robert of Hyde Park, daughter Joyce Morse and husband Richard of Staatsburg, son Mark Schaefer and wife Cindy of Buffalo, daughter Susan Schaefer of Hyde Park, grandchildren Kasinda, Elizabeth, Laura, Daniel, Robert, Thomas, Grace, Benjamin, and four great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his sister Lorraine Erani and brother Paul Lorey. He was predeceased by his brother Karl and sisters Clara, Elsie, and Rose.

The Schaefer family would like to give special thanks to Dr. Robert Holland, Dr. Zubair Zoha, and Dr. Ziad Abouezzi.

Memorial donations may be made to Hudson Valley Hospice Foundation, 374 Violet Ave., Poughkeepsie, NY 12601. (www.hvhospice.org)

Due to the restrictions of Covid-19, a private family memorial service was held, with burial at Pleasant Plains Cemetery on October 3, 2020 to celebrate the weekend of Bobs birthday, affectionately referred to as "Bobtoberfest".

Arrangements are under the direction of Sweet's Funeral Home, Hyde Park. To send an online condolence from the safety of your home, please visit www.sweetsfuneralhome.com.