Donald L. Schaefer M.D.

Dr. Donald L. Schaefer, age 85, died peacefully on December 20, 2011 at the University of Michigan Hospital with his wife at his side. The cause of death was heart failure. The oldest of four children, Donald (Don) was born on December 11, 1926 in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin to William and Nina Schaefer. When Don was 12 years old, his father died, and four years later his only sister died. After his father’s death, Don held many jobs while attending high school to help his family. In 1944, he enlisted in the US Army Air Forces and served in the South Pacific at the end of WWII as a communications chief. Don later served as a captain in the Wisconsin National Guard and a major in the Michigan Air National Guard. Dr. Schaefer was a psychiatrist in private practice for fifty years, forty-six of those years were in Ann Arbor. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Marquette University School of Medicine (now the Medical College of Wisconsin) in 1953. After interning at Ohio State and completing a residency at the Milwaukee County Hospital for Mental Diseases, he started his psychiatry practice in Milwaukee. Dr. Schaefer completed a second residency at the U of M Medical Center. Later, he was psychiatric director of the U of M Student Mental Health Clinic. During his years of practice, Dr. Schaefer provided psychiatric services in several community mental health programs. He was medical director of Family Service and Children’s Aid in Jackson and on the staff of Foote Hospital, Jackson. Dr. Schaefer was a member of the American Psychiatric Association and the Michigan Psychiatric Society. Dr. Schaefer is survived by his wife of fifty years, Anna Marie, daughters Susan and Sarah, sons Stephen (Naomi) and Matthew (Jessica), and three grandchildren, Eliana, Joey and Jayde. He is also survived by his brother Fred (Kathie), sister-in-law Barbara, brothers-in law John (Lin) McEnery and James (Gale) McEnery, and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his brother Meinrad and sister Elizabeth. Don was a beloved husband, father and grandfather. He will be greatly missed. He took great pride and joy in following the athletic endeavors and educational achievements of his children, and then later, his grandchildren. He enjoyed hiking and running, summer beach vacations and several trips to Europe, including visits to his wife’s relatives in Ireland. The family appreciates the compassionate, skilled care provided by Dr. Daniel Cahill, the cardiovascular program of St. Joseph Mercy Health System and, at the end of his life, the U of M Cardiac ICU. The family will receive friends at Muehlig Funeral Chapel, 403 S. Fourth Ave., Ann Arbor on Wednesday, December 28 from 4 pm to 8 pm. A funeral mass will be held at 11 am on Thursday, December 29 at St. Mary Student Parish, 331 Thompson St., Ann Arbor. A light luncheon in the adjoining Newman Hall will follow the service. A private burial will take place at Forest Hill Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to St. Mary Student Parish, the cardiovascular program of St. Joseph Mercy Health System or the U of M Mott Children’s Hospital. Arrangements under the direction of Muehlig Funeral Chapel, Ann Arbor, MI.