Richard John Schaffer was born in Portland, OR on June 19, 1939 to John and Anna Schaffer. He attended Our Lady of Sorrows, Benson High School, and graduated from David Douglas High School in 1957. He married Bonnie Gainer and together raised their two sons, Scott and Eric in Portland's Laurelhurst neighborhood where he coached Little League for many years. The family enjoyed the family vacation home he personally built on the Oregon coast in Manzanita.
On Oct. 18, 1985, he married Barbara Bergstrom. Together, they opened Far West Golf of Washington in Fife, WA and ran the business for 10 years before retiring in 2000 to Carlyon Beach in Olympia, WA where he served as a board member and neighborhood handyman. They grew their circle of close friends with annual trips to Maui and Palm Springs. As an avid golfer, he celebrated several golf tournament wins and two hole-in-ones. He was a member of Twin Lakes Country Club, NW Senior Golf Association and played weekly at Tumwater Valley Golf Course.