Frederick C. "Fred" Schaefer (85) of Effingham

Frederick C. "Fred" Schaefer, 85 of Effingham, passed away Sunday, July 24, 2022 at Lakeland Rehabilitation and Health Care Center in Effingham.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, August 2, 2022 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Effingham with entombment in Woodlawn Cemetery with military rites. Visitation will be held from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Monday at Bauer Funeral Home in Effingham, with a 6:30 p.m. Knights of Columbus rosary. Memorial donations may be made to Sacred Heart School in Effingham. 

Fred was born August 30, 1936 in Smithton, IL, the son of Carl and Lillian (Quirin) Schaefer. In 1954, Fred graduated from Cathedral High School in Belleville, IL. He went on to serve in the United States Army from 1954 to 1956 as a Paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne - 504 AIR.  In January of 1958, Fred graduated from the Illinois State Police Academy and was assigned as a Trooper to Effingham District #12.

He married Janice M. Osborne on August 29, 1959. She preceded him in death in 2012. Fred was a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church and the Effingham Knights of Columbus. He was also a member of the Effingham American Legion Post #120, where he served on the funeral detail with the Honor Guard for 14 years. Fred previously held a seat on the Board of Directors of Illinois Guarantee Savings Bank in Effingham. He was a Hall of Fame member of the Effingham Men’s Bowling Association, where he also served as secretary for several years. He managed the local Greyhound Bus Lines ticket agency in Effingham.

Fred is survived by his four sons, Greg (Teresa) of Bennett, CO, Tracy (Cathy) of Casey, Tony (Jeni) of Chesapeake, VA and Scott (Michelle) of Sigel; two daughters, Cynthia (Mike) DePoister of Effingham and Lisa (Ed) Hobler of Vandalia; his special friend, Norma Hoelscher; sixteen grandchildren and twenty-one great-grandchildren.

Fred was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Janice; son, Michael; mother and father-in-law, Benjamin and Frona Osborne; sisters, Marilyn Fournie and Dorothy Parke; brothers-in-law, Ben J. Osborne, Nick Ettelbrick, Paul Fournie and John Parke.