Allen Schaaf

1942 - 2025

Allen Schaaf
12/06/1942 - 11/19/2025
Allen Schaaf was born on December 6, 1942 in the Bay Area and spent much of his childhood in Marin County. His life was shaped by curiosity, creativity, independence, and a refusal to follow any path but his own.
Allen was the proprietor and operator of Black Sheep Press in San Francisco, a small independent print shop known for its craftsmanship and character. Long before it was common in the industry, he trained and hired women as printers, believing that skill and commitment were what mattered. He helped open doors for people who would not have been welcomed in traditional print shops.
He was also a lifelong filmmaker. Allen founded Footloose Films, a collective that worked together at night and on weekends. He directed and served as cinematographer for a feature called Dracula's Disciple and created several public service announcements, including one for the San Francisco Public Library. He worked in commercial sound recording and was always teaching himself new tools and techniques.
Allen lived through and contributed to the unique creative energy of San Francisco. During his Haight Ashbury years he designed and built a marijuana delivery device for his apartment. As a member of the San Francisco Suicide Club he took part in urban exploration and stunts, including climbing the Golden Gate Bridge. He approached these adventures with the same mix of intelligence, irreverence, and fearlessness that defined the rest of his life.
In the later part of his career he moved into computers and eventually computer security. He approached digital systems with the same analytical mind and deep skepticism that made him a sharp observer of the world.
Allen loved his Samoyed dogs and even designed a button asking people to vote Nomi for Mayor. Throughout his life he remained a fierce debunker of anything pretentious or pompous and anything that did not hold up to scrutiny. He valued truth, curiosity, and humor in equal measure.
He is survived by his daughter, Oriana Schaaf, of whom he was deeply proud, his brother, Martin Schaaf, and his wife, Maria Cristina Cereno.
Allen lived an unconventional and imaginative life that reflected his own values and spirit. He left the world in the same way he lived in it, guided by his own vision and a clear sense of what mattered.