Charlotte L. Schafer

Charlotte Lenore Howser Schafer, 85, died peacefully on May 12, 2024, at Lifecare in Elyria.

Charlotte was born to Charles Jefferson Howser and Flora Marie Wetherbee on September 12, 1938, in Grafton, Ohio. She had a happy childhood in the family home. In her younger years, she was a fast runner and avid reader, the latter being a passion she held her entire life. She was well-known at the library for checking out twenty books at a time.

Charlotte graduated from Midview High School in 1956 and worked a little over a year at Lear-Romec in Elyria after graduation. At a high-school dance, she met Alan Merlin Schafer, whom she married on June 1, 1957, and raised three boys: Alan Leonard Schafer, Michael David Schafer, and Charles Marc Schafer. She and Alan made their home in Kipton until 1981, when they moved to Elyria, Ohio. In Elyria, she found employment as a cashier in a gas station and a laundromat, and finally, she worked as a security guard at Bendix until her retirement. Her generosity and kind spirit touched everyone she worked with; some even “adopted” her as their mother.

Charlotte was always a positive person. Despite many health challenges over the years, including constant migraine headaches, severe calcinosis, and, in the end, liver cancer, she never once complained about them. Everyone who knew her was blessed by her giving spirit, cheerful disposition, great sense of humor, and love for everyone. She was affectionately known as “Bad Egg” by her many nieces, nephews, and grand-nieces and nephews.

Charlotte came to know the Lord shortly after marrying Alan in 1957, and with her husband, were founding members of Oberlin Calvary Baptist Church in Oberlin, Ohio. She always made it a habit to be involved in the church, come rain or shine, and has passed that legacy on to her children. She had great creativity and would use that to produce bulletin boards, flyers, and banners for the churches she attended. In addition, she was a prolific scrapbooker, producing over forty scrapbooks for family and friends. She was also an avid Scrabble player and could often be seen working through various word puzzle books.

Charlotte was devoted to her family. She always made it a point to encourage her three sons to follow their dreams and would do anything she could to make that happen. She was their best cheerleader and encouraged them to follow their passion. She focused on others and loved giving her time, talent, and treasure to those who most needed it. She was a model of generosity to everyone who knew her and always found the best in them.

She was proceeded in death by her husband of 66 years, Alan Merlin Schafer in 2024; a sister Brenda Faye Howser in 1943; her father, Charles Howser, in 1981; her mother, Flora Wetherbee Howser, in 1961; and a daughter-in-law, Donna Porter Schafer, in 2018. She is survived by her sons Alan Leonard Schafer of Grafton, Ohio, Michael David Schafer (Lisa) of Summersville, WV, and Charles Marc Schafer (Sharon), of Mountain Home, ID; a brother Charles Leonard Howser (Ruth); two sisters Donna Louise Pelton (Richard) and Alice Marie Webb (Darrell); three grandchildren, Kelly, Nikole, and Courtney, one step-grandson, Michael Scott, two great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.

Friends and family will be received from 10 am to noon on Saturday, May 18, at the Duke Funeral Home in Grafton, Ohio, with the service to follow immediately. Cremation and burial of the ashes will follow at a later date in Camden Cemetery, Kipton, Ohio, next to her husband.

Instead of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions can be made to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Charlotte L. Schafer, please visit our floral store.