Lee Schafer
Apr 14, 1946 - Sep 9, 2008
Yesterday morning, my good friend Lee Schafer suffered a heart attack that eventually took his life today around 10:30am. Lee started out as my boss giving me my first job in radio. He was the one who took a chance on a 16 year old kid who was anxious to get into the business. He was a careful business man and had a heart for God and spreading the Word through broadcasting. We had many days filled with laughter and the occasional Chicago Connection Pizza. One of my favorite memories was when the station's program director prank called Lee from down the hall... when Lee realized the goofball calling him was just down the hall, he RAN down the hall and literally climbed over the PD's desk to take him down. That same PD had water poured on the front of his pants in retaliation by Lee while he was laying on his back to fix some wiring under the counter in the control room. Lee's sense of humor was awesome, and his heart for God and service to the church even more so. I can't imagine KSPD and KBXL without Lee there, but I know God wouldn't have called him home if the operation wasn't in great hands... the rest of his family.
I will miss you, Lee... but I rest in the promise that we will see each other again. Being in heaven with Jesus is better by far.
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3 comments:
Lee gave me my first job in radio too. I was 18, just graduated high school and Dave convinced Lee to hire me at KSPD. Lee had to have been anxious about 2 teenagers, who were best friends, working for him. He must have wondered what kind of trouble we would get into. But we were good kids, and Lee trusted us with his station. We didn't let him down. Lee was a wonderful, caring man. He will be missed, but like you said, Dave, he's in a far better place.
Wow, seeing those pictures really brought back a lot of memories. I, too, got my start in my brief radio career (3 years) at KSPD in the early 80's. Lee had just bought the station and I wasn't sure what to think of him at first but as time went on he became a man I respected so much for his faith and dedication to the Lord. What a great, great man.
His memorial service was outstanding. So many talked of his practical jokes, his love of fishing, his heart to serve God, how he loved broadcasting and restoring old radios, how much he loved his family... the sharing had to be ended by the pastor because so many wanted to share. He said if everyone shared about Lee, the BSU game would have started before we were done and Lee would not want anyone to miss the game. I was able to share about my memories of him and how in the early days of KSPD we always had a "KSPD VIP of the Day"... I wrapped up by honoring Lee Schafer as today's KSPD VIP of the Day. Afterwards some of us went to lunch at Chicago Connection Pizza in honor of Lee. It was a place Lee and I (and MANY others) loved to go eat together. We always had it delivered to the station when we had staff meetings.
The pastor encouraged us to strive to be like Lee. He said Lee never stopped "climbing" in his relationship with God. He wanted to continue growing in his knowledge of Christ right up to the day he died. One day before his heart attack he was attending church when the pastor encouraged the congregation to be "Jesus Freaks". On the way home, Lee said to his wife Beth, "Beth, that's what I want to be... a Jesus Freak." Lee, I'd say you already were...
We love you Lee and are inspired by the man you were here on earth. Thanks for the Godly example you were and for the legacy you left behind. You set the bar high.
Good-bye my friend. I look forward to seeing you again!
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