John David 'Bud' Schaffer, 74
John David "Bud" Schaffer, 74, went to be with his Lord and Savior, Thursday, Dec. 7, 2006, in Sandpoint, Idaho.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2006, at the Lakeview Funeral Home in Sandpoint with Pastor Jim Osman of the Kootenai Community Church officiating. A private family burial will take place in Rosalia, Wash.
Bud was born on Feb. 19, 1932, in Jamaica, N.Y., to Charles Augustus and Cathrine Schaffer. When he was 4 years old, Bud's mother passed away, leaving him with a rich legacy of his early life in her poetry. Bud graduated from Forest Hills High School in Long Island, N.Y. He joined the United States Air Force and was accepted into the Air Force Pilot Cadet Training program in 1952. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant and received his pilot's wings in 1954.
Bud married Peggy Paysse on July 16, 1954 in Ephrata, Wash., and began their Air Force adventure together. Bud served his country as a fighter pilot flying F-86s and greatly enjoyed flying some of the first F-100s off the assembly line. He left active duty in 1956 to attend college at Washington State University.
After graduating with a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering he went to work for General Electric at the Hanford nuclear site at Richland, Wash.
He worked for several contractors throughout his career and retired from Westinghouse Hanford Corp. in 1996. Bud and Peggy then moved to their cabin on Lake Pend Oreille, Idaho.
During his retirement years, Bud loved living at the lake house, walking in the woods, fishing, spending time with close friends and most of all, spending time with the love of his life, Peggy.
Bud accepted Christ as his savior while attending college. He lived his life and raised his sons with a strong Christian faith. In Richland he was active in the First Baptist Church where he spent many hours teaching adult Sunday school and serving on the deacon's board. He was a member of the Christian Business-men's Association. He was proud to serve on the Board of Trustees for the Northwest Baptist Seminary in Tacoma, Wash., for many years and was especially honored to be elected to emeritus status in 2005.
He is survived by his loving wife of 52 years, Peggy Schaffer of Sagle, Idaho, two sons Brad and his wife Mary Schaffer, Richland, Wash., Jeff and his wife Marcie Schaffer, Tulsa, Okla. and three grandchildren, Katie, Jonathan, and Lindsey Schaffer.
He was preceded in death by his parents and one brother, Charles A. Schaffer.
Bud was larger than life to his family and left us with one of his favorite quotes: "Thou are coming to a King, large petitions with thee bring: for His grace and power are such, none can ever ask too much." — John Newton.
Bud planted many seeds of faith in the minds of his friends and family and had a deep, unspoken burden for the souls of those he left behind. Another of his favorite quotes was, "I'm paid up, prayed up, packed and ready to go!"
Memorial donations may be made to the Kootenai Community Church Building Fund, P.O. Box 593, Kootenai, ID 83840.
Lakeview Funeral Home in Sandpoint is handling the arrangements. Please visit Bud's memorial at www.lakeviewfuneral.com and sign his online guest book.