Ms. Kathleen "Kass" Marie (Madden) Schaefer

Kathleen Madden Schaefer died peacefully on June 2, 2020. Although she couldn’t be surrounded by her beloved family physically, they offered their prayers, love, and support. She was born the daughter of James Joseph Madden and Catherine Marie O’Toole on June 13, 1939, in Philadelphia, PA. Kathleen graduated from West Catholic High School and subsequently trained as a Laboratory Medical Technician. She was the sister of James Madden (Marion) and Patricia Allen (Richard) and is predeceased by her brother Robert Madden (Mary Ann). She is also survived by her five children: Christopher Schaefer (Christine), Daniel Schaefer (Alexa), Maureen Kearns (Steve), Karen Burnham (John), and Michael Schaefer; and ten grandchildren: Holden Kearns, Madeline Schaefer, Ann Marie Schaefer, Nicholas Kearns, Zachary Schaefer, Sean Schaefer, Hector Burnham, Alexandra Burnham, Caitlin Schaefer, and Matthew Burnham. Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon her. May her soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

**You are all invited to participate in a virtual funeral mass on Monday, June 8, 2020 at 11:30 AM. To access the livestreaming, there will be a live feed video box on the bottom left of this page. The video will remain on the website, after the mass, for two weeks. If there are technical difficulties, a video of the service will be uploaded after the mass. Condolences may be posted at www.murphyfuneralhomes.com.**

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Catholic Relief Services at CRS.org

Gathering for Kathleen

No word, no prayer

will bring her back

where she sat

in full awareness

as if just yesterday,

sketching stories

from decades done

between steady sips of tea

when we didn’t realize

we’d just heard

the last and fullest telling.

Her deepening fog

day by day,

forced us to yield

to the severe progress

of mercy, to unseen hands

relentlessly

sweeping her away.

And the storm demanded

our surrender, too

as it seized her

on barren ground.

But her soul remains

a vibrant whisper.

Through clouds still brewing,

she reprimands

forces of division and despair:

Angels are leading me aloft,

and God will yet bear you all up, too.

May I see you gathered for me

not in pieces, but in peace.

—Christine Schaefer

EULOGY - Maureen Kearns

A Letter to Mom

Mom,

When I think of you, I think about what was most important to you: your family and your faith. As a close friend of our family said of you, “She was a warrior for your family.”Mom, with 5 children, you had to be a warrior. You lead by example, and you taught us so many things that we needed to know. You were kind and compassionate, you were an adventurer, you were creative, and you loved and cared for all of us.

You taught us that a life spent in service to others is incredibly important. Your kindness and compassion was on full display by the countless hours you spent volunteering to help others in many ways. Throughout your time in Diamond Beach, you helped to start and run the food pantry for the needy, putting your Spanish to good use. When overseas, you volunteered in clinics for the poor. You strongly supported Catholic Charities and Catholic Relief Services and would help in any way possible. The example you set has inspired us to volunteer in our local communities and it has influenced your grandchildren to be volunteers as well, and for that I thank you.

After graduating from an all-girls Catholic high school, you became a lab technician and worked at a hospital with children who had cancer. Though emotionally demanding, this job enabled you to help so many children, and you persevered. You would continue working as a lab technician for several doctors’ offices upon your return from your time overseas.

Your compassion was also exemplified in many other ways. I’m reminded of the time that Danny (ever the instigator) got into a fight with our neighbor Lad Bancroft. Unfortunately for Lad, after delivering what seemed to be the final blow to Danny’s head, Lad broke his hand. You were so concerned for Lad that you went and bought a Kojak Board game and had Danny deliver it to Lad, as if to say, “I’m sorry my head broke your hand.”

Mom, you valued a good education and you made sure we all had the opportunity and the means to go to college and for that we are truly grateful.

Your taste for adventure was obvious by the fact that, after meeting and marrying dad, you embraced living outside of the United States. And it’s not like you were living in Bermuda or some safe haven. No, you lived in Mexico, Honduras, Argentina, and Chile; all countries filled with turmoil, internal strife and terrorism. Yet, you rose to the challenge. You learned to speak Spanish fluently and you supported dad by hosting elaborate dinner parties. On one such occasion in Buenos Aires, I remember you wearing a beautiful red and white polka dot dress. You made the dress yourself and were so proud. And I remember that you simply looked stunning in it! (You were blessed with external beauty as well as internal.) Apparently, though, you knew how to throw a party! As a six year old, I was awakened that night. I peered out of a window to see what the noise was all about. Much to my delight, everyone was laughing and jumping in the pool late night, while still sporting their elegant clothing. And there you were, with everyone else, soaking wet in that beautiful handmade red and white polka dot dress.

I’m also reminded of a time when living in Santiago, Chile, we decided to go camping and stay in a tent right on the beach. After a fun filled day at the beach, I remember being awakened in the early morning by the earth shaking and you screaming at us to run to the car! Once we were all in the car safely, we realized it was an earthquake. We left in such a hurry that we left our belongings behind, but you didn’t want to go back because you were concerned about a tidal wave. I don’t recall ever going camping again after that.

Other life adventures took you hiking through the rainforest in Honduras, a trek to the peaks of Machu Picchu, you visited Bariloche, but I recall your favorite adventure was the trip to Ireland where you traveled with your family. I think it must have been visiting your ancestral home with your siblings that gave a certain spiritual quality to it. You were always at your happiest spending time with your family.

Mom you were so creative! I remember when I was a little girl I was supposed to go to a Girl Scout Halloween Party. The party had slipped your mind and we didn’t have time to go to the store at the last minute to get a costume. Within 5 minutes you had me dressed and ready to go; you dressed me as a PLO terrorist. I must say, you did a great job. You used a white sheet to cover my body, a white pillow case for my head with a tie wrapped around to look like Arab headwear. You then drew a full beard on me with your eyebrow pencil. Lastly, you equipped me with one of my brothers’ fake machine guns. I really looked the part. I also remember I was going to get a ride to the party with one of my friends and her mother, her name was Lorraine Cohen. They were Jewish. I can only imagine what Lorraine’s mom thought when they first saw me, not to mention the Girl Scout leaders when I strolled in. But in the end, I won the award at that party for the most original costume.

>>> Another testament to your creativity was the Bicentennial clothes you made for all of us kids. We all had shirts or tank tops and the girls had scarves in the red, white and blue stars and stripes material. Hopefully those pictures, wherever they are, won’t see the light of day!

>>> Mom, you had a flair for decorating. Every Christmas you would decorate the house to look so festive and you would make Kringle and loads of cookies when we would have family visit. You always did your best to make us feel special. To you, family was everything.

You were born in 1939 in Philadelphia, into a loving Irish-Catholic family. And when I reflect upon your unique life, you faced many difficult challenges. Sadly, when you were just 15, your mother tragically passed away and you quickly assumed the role of care-taker for your father, and your younger siblings, Bob and Patsy. Though tested, your faith in God remained and grew even stronger. You shared with us and taught us the importance of faith. This faith would provide you comfort throughout your life, just as it provides us comfort now. Thank you!

Mostly, though, when I think of you, I think of your life at your favorite place, Diamond Beach. You created a place for all of us to gather, full of love, where we created so many memories for our family. We will all remember the fun times and laughs shared playing in the surf, the long walks on the beach, the boardwalk, or the marathon card games played back at the house with your grandchildren. My children have grown up with a lifetime of memories of you and the beach and for that, we are forever grateful. Once again, you provided for all of us. I realize now, that the greatest of the gifts you gave to us was the gift of FAMILY.

Mom, I would like to thank you for a lifetime of love and dedication. You weren’t flashy; you didn’t need accolades or attention. You quietly did what you had to do with no complaints. You cherished and loved your family and friends, you were devoted to your faith and to making this world a better place, and you selflessly put everyone’s needs in front of your own. Yours was a beautiful life well lived. We are content in the knowledge that you knew you were loved by all and that Heaven has received its newest angel. Rest in peace with your family. We will miss you every day, but we will carry you in our hearts always.