After a valiant struggle with various cancers, Dr. Robert E. Schafrik, Sr., 72, passed away on July 10, 2018. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio and lived most recently in Williamsburg, VA. Preceding him in death are his parents, Edward Schafrik and Sylvia Farina Schafrik. He leaves a wife, Mary Schuhmann Schafrik, a brother, Joseph Schafrik, a sister, Mary Catherine Schafrik, children, Catherine Spage, Franki Schafrik, Robert Schafrik, Jr., Steven Schafrik, Ph.D., and grandchildren Natalie and Michael Spage.
He was a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel who held senior positions at the National Research Council’s National Materials Advisory Board and Board on Manufacturing and Engineering Design before joining GE Aviation in 1997, where he rose to general manager of the Materials and Process Engineering Department. Most recently he was the new Presidential Distinguished Professor of Industrial, Systems and Manufacturing Engineering at The University of Texas at Arlington.
Bob was an internationally renowned expert in materials and manufacturing. He held 21 U.S. patents and was inducted into the GE Aviation Propulsion Hall of Fame in 2016. He also received the ASM International Eisenman Award for lifetime achievement in materials and, as a National Academy of Engineering Member, is pre-eminent in his field. Bob also held several positions in leading professional associations, including as a member of the audit committee of the National Academy of Engineering, and as chair of the National Research Council’s Committee on Connector Reliability for Offshore Oil and Natural Gas Operations.
He earned his bachelor’s degree of science in metallurgy from Case-Western Reserve University, master's of science degree in aerospace engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology and master's of science degree in information systems from George Mason University. He earned a doctorate in metallurgical engineering from The Ohio State University.
Memorial donations can be made to MD Anderson Cancer Center at https://gifts.mdanderson.org.
A funeral mass will be held on July 27 at 10 am in Louisville, Kentucky, at St. Bernadette’s Catholic Church, 6500 St. Bernadette Avenue, Prospect, KY 40059.
Interment will be at Arlington National Cemetery, details will be forthcoming. Online condolences may be shared at www.nelsenwilliamsburg.com.
