Richard "Dick" Charles Schaefer

Richard “Dick” Charles Schaefer, 82, of Chillicothe, Illinois, left us on Thursday, May 29, 2025, to catch the Big Game in the Sky — we assume he has front-row seats and is already yelling at the refs.

Born October 17, 1942, to Charles and Marie Schaefer in Champaign, IL, Dick grew up with strong Midwestern roots and an even stronger opinion about Illinois and Chicago sports. He was a member of the Peoria Army Guard and a proud graduate of the University of Illinois. He majored in business and minored in “I-L-L…I-N-I”. While at U Of I, Dick was a member of Phi Sigma Kappa and senior baseball mgr. He always cherished his time in Champaign-Urbana. While at U of I, he had the great privilege of sharing classes with the legendary Dick Butkus — and yes, he would absolutely want us to mention that.

After college, Dick built a long and successful career in sales at Xerox, where he could talk to just about anyone and probably convince them to buy a copier — and he won many awards doing so. He was part of an entire cadre of business professionals and leaders that started their careers at Xerox and he was privileged to help lead the company through the digital revolution that has shaped our modern world.

A lifelong fan of the Chicago Bears and Chicago Cubs, Dick remained eternally optimistic — despite decades of emotional trauma from both teams. He was sure “this was the year” more times than we can count, he watched every game, and this loyalty paid off for him more than a few times.

He was an avid golfer, a lover of a good joke, and a connoisseur of slightly exaggerated storytelling — though he most definitely tailgated with his old friend Dick Butkus on occasion.

Dick will always be remembered by his beloved wife Marge, who somehow tolerated decades of sports antics and dad jokes with grace and love; his four children — David (Kathy) Schaefer of Missouri, Philip (Melissa) Schaefer of Katy, Texas, Elizabeth (Kyle) Taylor of Texas City, Texas, and Melissa (Jeff) Malson of Brimfield, Illinois — who inherited his love of life and the best sports teams; and four cherished grandchildren, Jordan, Gavin, Caroline and Emerson Schaefer, brother Steven (Karol) Schaefer of Cissna Park, IL, sister Susan (Allan) Lang of Cape Neddick, ME, half-brother Kent (Amy) Schaefer of Mesa, AZ, niece Tiffany Schaefer of West Lafayette, IN and nephew Daniel Lang of Portland, ME.

He was many things: a loving father, son and brother, a devoted husband, a legendary salesman, and quite possibly the most enthusiastic Illini fan to walk the planet. Heaven might not be ready for his enthusiasm, but they’re certainly gaining one heck of a cheerleader. We are grateful he is now in peace, in his Heavenly home with Jesus.

A private celebration of Dick’s life will be held at a later date where we will raise a toast, share a few stories, and — per his wishes — we will wear something orange and blue.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the St Jude Children’s Research Hospital.