Deborah Schaefer

Deborah, (Debbie) was born on October 19, 1953, to Betty & John Stacy Jr. in Milwaukee Wisconsin. Debbie graduated from Shawnee Mission Northwest High School in 1971. She soon attended Avila University majoring in elementary education where she received a teaching certificate and B.A. degree in elementary education graduating with honors as Summa Cum Laude. She later went back to school where she and Michael (her husband) earned an M. A. degree from the University of Missouri in Adult Education. Debbie was a published author and wrote books on speedwriting and assisted in other publications from McGraw-Hill Publishing Company. She enjoyed intellectual and interpersonal conversations on philosophy, psychology, religion, politics and current affairs.

Debbie has invested many years of her time praying and participating in the Third Order Lay Carmelite Community. She enjoyed being a Carmelite teacher.

During college she worked at Shawnee Mission Medical Center as medical transcription administrator. Debbie was soon hired as a second-grade schoolteacher (pictured above) with the Shawnee Mission School District and taught kindergarten and second grade at Santa Fe Trail Elementary School in Shawnee Mission, KS. She loved her students and spent many hours after school with parent teacher conferences. In May 1981, Debbie was working part-time at Shawnee Mission Medical Center while teaching full-time where she met Michael, a hospital loss prevention officer. They dated for a couple of years and attended marriage enrichment classes in preparation to join in holy matrimony.

On August 8th, 1983, they were married at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church. For many years, they were blessed with good health, until one day in 2013, Debbie was diagnosed with Leukemia.

She battled cancer in KU Medical Center in need of a bone marrow transplant to survive. A young college student by the name of Braden while attending Benedictine College agreed to donate his bone marrow one day if ever asked. A few weeks later, Braden was mysteriously contacted by the KU Bone Marrow Transplant Office and was asked to fly to St. Louis to make his marrow donation for a woman who was dying. He flew to St. Louis, donated his marrow, and almost a year later he met Debbie the lady who his bone marrow saved!

A reunion followed where Braden and his family one day would meet Debbie and Michael’s family and they shared a special kinship. Debbie was cancer free for many years, and her husband, brothers, mother, nieces, nephews, and friends treasured their relationship with her.

On the 10th anniversary of being cancer free, she was told by the doctors at KU Medical Center that she was now diagnosed with a deadly Sarcoma Acute Myeloid Leukemia with no cure. She was hospitalized and went to heaven on May 1st, which was coincidently, the feast day for St. Joseph the Worker. She passed away during the recitation of the Divine Mercy Chaplet at 3:44 in the afternoon.

Over Debbie’s lifetime, she lost her Grandmother Mary Milke & Niece Patricia Stacy, her father John E. Stacy Jr., her Mother & Father-in-Law, Edward and Joann Schafer, her beloved Aunt Francis, along with many other loving aunts, uncles and loved ones.

Debbie is survived by her loving husband Michael, her Mother, Betty Stacy, loving brothers: Brian and Janet Stacy, Dennis and Melody Stacy, Kevin and Deanna Stacy, Sister-In-Law Theresa and Doug McKenna, and her many nieces, nephews and loved ones.

Funeral services will be held at:

The Church of the Nativity, 3800 W. 119th Street Leawood, Kansas on Wednesday May 10th with a Rosary at 9:30 AM, a tribute to Deborah at 10:00 AM with a Catholic Mass to follow at 10:30 AM. After Mass, Debbie will be put to rest at the Resurrection Cemetery at 8300 Quivira Road Lenexa, Kansas and then loved ones and family will meet back to Church of the Nativity for lunch and celebration of Debbie’s life.

In lieu of flowers we ask that donations be given to the Lay Carmelite Order –Peggy Oades Treasurer. There will be a basket for the donations in the front church vestibule. Mail donations to Lay Carmelite Order –Peggy Oades Treasurer 3408 W. 122nd Street Leawood, Kansas 66209