Herman was the oldest of the eight children born to Henry Schafer and his first wife, Amelia Kaiser. the family moved to Nebraska from Illinois when he was about 5 years old, and resided on a farm south of Tobias, Nebraska, in Saline County. He was brought up in the Zion Lutheran Church there, being confirmed there in 1897. His mother died when he was 12 years old, and his father remarried, to Minnie Most, and had 9 more children.
(There is a discrepancy regarding where he was born. His World War II draft registration has Granville, Putnam County, Illinois. His obituary, which follows, gives a different place.)
Obituary of Herman Schafer:
Herman Schafer Dies at 87 in Fairbury Home
Herman Schafer, 87, died March 24 in a Fairbury nursing home. Funeral services were held at 2 p. m. Saturday in St John's Lutheran church in Daykin, with Rev Arno Schelper officiating. Burial was in the church cemetery The obituary:
"Herman Schafer was born at Glenview, Ill., on November 11, 1882, the son of Henry and Amilia Schafer. He was received into God's household through the Sacrament of Holy Baptism in infancy and renewed those promises later in his youth through the Lutheran rite of Confirmation.
He moved with his parents to Wilber, Neb., and from there to Tobias, Nebr., where he spent the remaining years of his youth.
On December 20, 1905, he married Fanny Krause from Ohiowa, Nebr. They lived ten years west of Tobias then moved to Ohiowa.
In 1932, they moved to Higginsville, Mo., and from there to Holton, Kas., before coming to Alexandria.
God blessed this union with four children. All living, they are: Hester John of Alexan-( Continued on Page 3)
HERMAN SCHAFER
(Continued from Page 1)
dria, George Schafer of Lafayette, Calif., Reinhart Schafer of Kansas City, Mo., and Agnes Lees of Martinez, Calif.; five grandchildren and six great- granchildren also survive his departure.
Also surviving are six sisters and four brothers. They are: Lena Endorf of Campbell, Nebr., Mathilda Wallenberg of Plymouth, Nebr., Bertha Hahn of Lincoln, Nebr., Elizabeth Loseka of Columbus, Nebr., Emma Bartels of Topeka, Kas., Hanna Bartels of Tobias, Nebr., Ernest Schafer of Alma, Mo., Fred Schafer of Beatrice, Nebr., Louie Schafer of Tobias,
(completed in next column)
Nebr., and Leonard Schafer of Daykin, Nebr.
Two brothers and two sisters have preceded him In death. They are: Henry Schafer, Siebert Schafer, Amilia Nolte, and Margaret Bartels.
(The above obituary was published on 2 Apr 1970 in "The Alexandria (Nebraska) Argus, pages 1 and 3.