The Funeral of Charlotte Schafer

§ Words of Welcome

Good morning, and welcome. On behalf of the family, I want to thank you for being here.

We’re here today to honor and to reflect on the life of Charlotte Lenore Howser Schafer. As a daughter, a sister, a wife, a mom, an aunt, a grandmother, and a friend, Charlotte lived a life that is worth reflecting on, and striving after. And it’s good for us to pause today to do just that: to reflect. To remember.

And even, to rejoice. Because as it says in Psalm 116:15, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his faithful servants.” We may mourn today, but we don’t mourn as those without hope, because we know that the day of Charlotte’s passing was precious in the sight of the Lord, and He’s the One who called her home.

I want to encourage you to give yourself the time you need today. Slow down and be honest with yourself. Mourn, process, grieve, laugh, and remember. There’s a time for everything under the sun: A time to weep, and a time to laugh. A time to mourn, and a time to dance. Even a time to be born, and a time to die. And I know that the Lord will comfort us as we reflect and remember Charlotte today.

§ Prayer

So, as we begin this time of remembrance and celebration, please join me in a word of prayer.

Eternal God, our heavenly Father, who rules over all things and love us with an everlasting love, we come to you today confessing that we are a needy people; in need always of your forgiveness, and today, in need of your comfort. We pray that in your goodness, and for the sake of your Son Jesus, you might enable us to remember Charlotte’s life, to celebrate her legacy and testimony, and to receive the comfort that you offer us in Your Word and by Your Spirit. Draw near to us this morning we pray through Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

§ Scripture

In times of grief and sorrow, we find that the Scriptures contain many words of comfort, some of which we’ve already heard this morning. Through them God speaks to us directly and brings healing to the pain we experience at the loss of those we love. So now, the family has asked for the reading of Scripture at the beginning of the service, to remind us of the hope that we have.

Revelation 21:1–4 “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain. The first things passed away.’ ”

John 14:1–3 ““Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”

Philippians 4:6–7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

§ Eulogy Charlotte Lenore Howser Schafer was 85 years old when she 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.

Charlotte 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 of Summersville, WV, and Charles Marc Schafer, of Mountain Home, ID; a brother Charles Leonard Howser; two sisters Donna Louise Pelton and Alice Marie Webb; three grandchildren, Kelly, Nikole, and Courtney, one step-grandson, Michael Scott, two great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.

§ Biographical Sketch

Charlotte was a wonderful woman. I have so enjoyed the time I had in the last few months to get to know Charlotte during her time at Life Care here in Elyria. As I knew her, Charlotte was generous with what she had. She was kind to those she met. She loved to laugh, and loved to bring laughter and joy to those around her. She was a faithful wife, and a loyal friend. But what amazed me most about Charlotte was her fierce, enduring positivity and hope.

Charlotte endured things in life that would have caused many people to give up. She lived much of her life in intense pain that manifested in migrains and other chronic conditions. And yet, all her life, she was pressed, but not crushed. She didn’t allow the pain she was in to become an excuse. She fought hard for her family, pushing through many difficulties, and served them faithfully. She focused on loving those around her rather than focusing on the hurt and discomfort that she was personally experiencing. And she held on to positivity and hope. And that is an example that’s worth following, because it reminds me of another person who, because of love, set their face like flint, who kept their eyes on the joy set before Him, and endured the pain of the cross, despising it’s shame.

In today’s culture, many people are refusing to do hard things, and sticking to what’s comfortable. But Charlotte learned another way: the way of persevering, self-sacrificial love. And we are all the better for it.

But there is plenty more to share, and so we’re going to hear from some of those who knew Charlotte best, starting with her oldest son.

§ Memories and Stories

Alan Schafer, Mike Schafer, Marc Schafer, Kevin Howser, Judy, etc.

§ Special Music | Judy

§ Message

We’ve already heard so many stories and memories; and the sweetness of the memories can make the pain of loss more pronounced. We loved Charlotte, and so our hearts ache at the loss that her death means for us.

One of my favorite moments as I prepared for this day was hearing about Charlotte’s involvement in church, alongside her husband, and about her perseverence in the faith. *Rumor has it that back in the day, she went to Sear’s Hardware Store and bought a typewriter just so that she could type out notes for her husband Alan to use as he taught Sunday School! And the family still has those notes today—hundreds of lessons over the years. Her Bibles are just here to my left as well, and I had the opportunity to leaf through them and see all the highlights and underlines made during times of joy and difficulty. Charlotte didn’t just read the Bible; she dug into the Bible. She walked with God in those pages. And I believe that if Charlotte were here today, she would want to hand every one of us a Bible and invite us to hear the words of the Savior that she got to know in these pages. As I looked through her Bible, one of the highlighted Scriptures was John 10:27–28, which says “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.” In addition to all the things we’ve heard today, Charlotte was a woman who walked with God, and who believed she heard from God as well.

In this room we might not all agree about the Bible that Charlotte loved to read, or about the Savior that she trusted in. But we can all agree that whatever is out there, on May 12, at around 10:00 PM, Charlotte found out. Just seconds after she died, she came face to face with ultimate reality. And if she could come back and speak with us, I believe there are a few things that she would want us to know.

The first thing is that death is one of the few things that we all have in common. The death of those we love forces us to face our own mortality. Death is real. Death is terrible. In the midst of a world that God called “good,” death is absoltuely not good. And yet every person who has ever lived dies. There’s no guarantee about when it will be, but the Scriptures say that it has been appointed for men once to die, and after this comes the judgment (Hebrews 9:27). God made us to be precious to one another. And Charlotte was a precious gift to many of us. And when we’re separated by death there’s an ache left in us, pointing us to the fact that this is not the way it should be. Even though we’re grateful that Charlotte is no longer struggling or in pain, it’s like that pain gets passed along to us to carry for a little while.

And actually, that ache that we feel is the tension at the center of the story of all creation. We were created to know and to be known. We were created to belong to God and to each other. But a long time ago, at the beginning of Creation, the Scriptures say in Romans 5 that sin entered into the world through one man named Adam, and death entered the world through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned (vs. 13). So not only is death common to all men; but we also find that death is caused. Sin is the cause of all the death, the separation, and the brokenness in our world. And one day, it will be the cause of our death as well.

There’s this book called the Jesus Storybook Bible that I love reading to my kids, and at the beginning when they’re talking about sin coming into the world, they say, “In any other story, it would all be over, and that would have been the end.” And the page ends with a period. No hope; No light; No escape; Just sin and death. And this is where many people believe the story ends. You may be here today, and you may believe that sin and death is the end of the story. But let me read to you what it says next.

Because when you turn the page, the story of creation continues:

“In any other story, it would all be over, and that would have been the end. But not in this Story. God loved his children too much to let the story end there. Even though he knew he would suffer, God had a plan—a magnificent dream. One day, he would get his children back. One day, he would make the world their perfect home again. And one day, he would wipe away every tear from their eyes.

You see, no matter what, in spite of everything, God would love his children—with a Never Stopping, Never Giving Up, Unbreaking, Always and Forever Love. And though they would forget him, and run from him, deep in their hearts, God’s children would miss him always, and long for him—lost children yearning for their home.

And in that moment, God whispered a promise to Adam and Eve: ‘It will not always be so! I will come to rescue you! And when I do, I’m going to do battle against the snake. I’ll get rid of the sin and the dark and the sadness you let in here. I’m coming back for you!’ And he would. One day, God himself would come.”

The stories we tell matter. I read this story to my children for the same reason I believe Charlotte would want me to read it to you today: Because God did come back! And death may be common to all of us, and death may be what we deserve because of sin, but death has been conquered by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Charlotte found all of her hope, and all of her comfort in the cross of Jesus Christ. As we prayed in hosptial rooms and hospice centers, Charlotte knew she had lived a good life; and yet she knew that the good life she lived did not earn her an address in heaven. Only faith in the cross of Jesus could do that! And so we prayed, and in death, Charlotte knew exactly where she was headed, and by God’s grace, Charlotte has found her way home.

And so as the Scripture says, “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Because “the wages of sin may be death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”

And what is a present reality now for Charlotte is our great and living hope. And it can be your hope starting today. Like Charlotte, we will all die. But there’s one man who came back. And if you put your trust in Jesus, sin and death does not have to be the end of your story either. I stand here today knowing I will see Charlotte again in glory. And I only pray that I’ll see you there too.

PRAYER

Our loving father, we come to you today sensing deeply our loss. We lay up on you today our burden, the pain of death. Yet Father, we would pause to give you thanks, thanks for your many blessings in our lives, and the life of our dear departed Charlotte. Thank you for the blessing of family and loved ones who cared in life and remember in death. Thank you for your grace and for loving us through Jesus Christ Our Lord. And thank you that Charlotte knew Christ and now enjoys a wonderful home in heaven, under Your wings.

We pray that in your grace, you would minister comfort to those left behind, a comfort that springs from a hope, and a hope that springs from knowing life eternal in Jesus Christ. We pray that we might know the intimacy of your presence, and in your presence, peace. We thank you that you are ever near us and ever able to minister to our deepest hurts. We thank you that you walk with us through this valley in your love. Shed Your love abroad in our hearts today for it is in Jesus name that we pray, amen.

§ Special Music | Mary Schultz, In the Sweet By and By

And now to close the service, we’re going to have some special music sung by Mary Schultz.

§ Closing Remarks

At this time, we will be dismissed by row to come forward and greet the family, and to say a final goodbye to Charlotte, after which the family would like to invite you to a luncheon held at the home of her oldest, Alan Schafer, in Grafton, Ohio. It’s a short drive away, and if you need help with directions, reach out to Alan or another family member before leaving the Funeral Home.

Now may the Lord bless you and keep you,

May He make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you.

May He lift His countenance upon you,

And give you peace.