Schaefer, Fredericka “Ricki”

Fredericka “Ricki” (Waldon) Schaefer

July 30, 1948 – June 21, 2022

Ricki is survived by her husband, Jim, sons, Steve (Leah) and Jonathan Jay (“JJ”), grandchildren: Tyler, Madeline, Emma and Kate, brother, John Waldon Jr., nieces, Debbie (John) Cosco and Patt Page, nephews, Bill Page Jr. and Scott (Kim) Page, as well as several grand and great-grand nieces and nephews. 

Ricki was born in Rochester and grew up in Hilton, NY. After graduating from Hilton High School, she attended Wagner College.  She married Jim in 1967 while he was in Naval flight training school in Pensacola, FL. 

Her ambition was to be a teacher, and she continued to work toward achieving her degree by attending colleges in Florida, New Jersey, New York and New Hampshire.  She earned her BA degree from Keene State in 1983 and her MBA from Brockport State.  Ricki and Jim raised their family in Merrimack, NH for 12 years where she taught third and fourth graders in the Merrimack school system.   Upon return to Rochester in 1993, she continued teaching at Fairbanks and Chestnut Ridge schools in the Churchville-Chili school district.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Ricki focused on understanding the needs of each student and building on their strengths throughout her entire teaching career. Her fellow teachers recognized her skills and sought to utilize them in their work, which is demonstrated in her “Teacher Recognition” awards. 

After retiring in 2011, Ricki and Jim have been “snowbirds” spending winters in Fort Myers and summers in Pittsford, NY.   She took up playing tennis and enjoyed competing on the Pelican Preserve Bronze Women’s tennis team against other local women’s tennis clubs in Florida and at TCR in Rochester.  She enjoyed working on crossword and related puzzles, participating in book clubs, and volunteered to deliver “Meals on Wheels.”   She even learned to play Mahjong and created a group for similar enthusiasts.  Over the years, Ricki and Jim particularly enjoyed traveling to the various locations where their son JJ was living around the country.

The arrival of COVID-19 in March of 2020 caused significant changes to Ricki’s life routine.  She had respiratory issues that forced her to initially restrict her activity to short trips using portable oxygen concentrators and socially distance. Since Jim and Ricki’s return to Pittsford in May of 2020, Ricki has been home bound. Ricki continued to have a very strong, positive attitude about her situation and would not let it get her down.  She was a very motivated, organized, caring person and will be missed by many, many people.

At her request, no memorial service is planned. If you desire, a memorial donation in her name could be made to one of her favored charities:

Bethlehem Lutheran Church, 48 Perrin St., Fairport, NY 14450

South Wedge Mission, 125 Caroline St., Rochester, NY 14620

St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis TN 38105