12/29/2024
Raymond Charles Schafer of Etna, PA passed away on December 27, 2024, a little over two years after his one and only wife, Janet Cecilia Rabatin passed away. He was just a little over 83 years old and had been suffering from a newly diagnosed illness for only a few weeks though it had probably been with him longer. Ray was born in the Pittsburgh Area to Charles Edward Schafer and Helen Elizabeth Brendle and had a younger brother, Ronald William Schafer, all of whom preceded him in death. He is survived by his children and their partners Garth Emory and Janette Eileen (Patterson) Schafer and Eve Elizabeth and Tor Anne Schafer-Voller and by his brother Ron’s former wife Jill (Baker) Moschetta and new husband William Moschetta and Ron and Jill’s son Chadd Schafer their stepson Brett Schafer and his family and his cousin Sandra (Heinz) Foody and her family. Also grieving, Jeremy Howdeedoodat Schafer, a fur person of the feline persuasion who loved him and Janet and will now live with Garth and Janette.
Ray started along two simultaneous paths as far as occupations and vocations go. While in High School, he worked in Drama as an Actor and in various theatrical technical skills, leading him to be a part of the founding students and parents of the Summer Stock company The Little Red Barn Theatre of Hampton (now closed). He continued working with them over the years but went on to college at Duquesne University where he quickly found The Red Masquers and his future wife Janet where they worked in Theatre together before being married. They shared the love of theatre, but it was actually the joy of reading the Rick Brandt series of Youth Science Based Novels (similar to the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys Mysteries) that brought them together in conversation that led to their eventual marriage. Ray also did work for WDUQ radio and WQED TV in the 60s mostly doing technical work but he even found himself as an extra in a few shows during his time there.
College prepared Ray for a career in Technical and Advertisement copy writing and multimedia production. He worked for several agencies over the years producing Ad copy and visual mockups for companies like White Westinghouse before switching to technical writing and catalog production in 1980 for Thermo Fisher Scientific where he worked until retirement.
Over the years he managed to balance his day job with occasional work in various Pittsburgh Theatre companies until around 2017 when he suffered the first of several medical setbacks. Over the years we can confirm that he performed or did technical work for The Little Red Barn, The Summer Company, The Red Masquers, The Acting Company (of the Laurel Highlands Regional Theatre), The Pittsburgh Savoyards, The Theatre Factory, Canterbury Dinner Theatre, Juliet’s Family and many others now forgotten. He also did voice work for the Lovelace Marionette Theatre Company but perhaps his biggest brush with the big time of acting was as an extra in the 1966 WQED production of Ofoeti (or The Boy Who Loved Trolls) which starred the then little-known René Auberjonois in the title role of the Troll.
Ray’s favorite role was one of the several that he got to originate on stage.
Ray also loved many kinds of music, but especially Classical and Opera. He also loved movie serials, radio plays and shows, early TV series and comic books all from his youth. He was an avid reader and especially loved Mysteries and Science Fiction. He enjoyed playing with Photography and Film and even did some video editing work for some of the productions he and the family were in. These loves he has passed to his children.
There will be a viewing at BOCK FUNERAL HOME, 1500 Mount Royal Boulevard in Glenshaw, PA, on Saturday, January 4th, 2025, from 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM and from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM with a Celebration of Life at 7:00 PM. The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, you donate to The Pittsburgh Savoyards in his name: https://pittsburghsavoyards.org/
