John P. Schaefer

John P. Schaefer
07/24/2024
John Peter Schaefer, 91, Palo Alto resident of 50 yrs, died at home on July 24. Born Dec. 22, 1932, in Luanshya, Northern Rhodesia (Zambia), where his father, Peter Schaefer, worked in copper mining, John's early years were shaped by his father's early death. Raised with brother Bill, by his mother, Polly (Amelia P) Schaefer, in Santa Monica, CA, John enjoyed summers with dear family in Fresno, and at Shaver Lake, sparking a lifelong love of the outdoors.
John graduated from Stanford University in 1954 in chemistry, spent a year at Caltech, and served in the Army as a pharmacist's assistant in occupied Germany. Returning to San Francisco, he met his future wife, Mary Louise Carey. John had a long career with Chevron Chemical Company, working in San Francisco, OH, NJ, and KY and San Ramon, retiring in 1991 as Vice President of Oronite.
A devoted husband, avid backpacker, fly fisherman, reader, gardener, and traveler, John was a firm and supportive father and beloved by those around him. A lifelong friend described him as "a gentleman in every respect, a source of good humor, and one of the most admirable men I've ever known."
Predeceased by his wife Mary in Jan. 2024, and his brother Bill in 2017, John is survived by his three children-Elizabeth (Z'bet) Schaefer (Yuksel Duman), Katherine Schaefer Cleland (Todd), and Richard Schaefer(Anne)-and four grandchildren.