William John Schaeffer III ’76
William John Schaeffer III ’76 of West Chester, Pennsylvania, died March 18 at Chester County Hospital after a long battle with multiple sclerosis. He was born March 7, 1954, in West Reading, Pennsylvania to the late William Jr. and Louise Trostle Schaeffer. “John” came to Dartmouth from Wyomissing (Pennsylvania) High School, where he quarterbacked the football team, played basketball, and ran track. After Dartmouth he received his M.B.A. and M.H.A. from Tulane University. While working as a laboratory technician in North Carolina he met his future wife, Laura Michel, a microbiologist, and they married in 1978. He served as an administrator at the Medical College of Virginia; the Hahnemann University Hospital and the Einstein Medical Center, both in Philadelphia; and Lancaster (Pennsylvania) General Hospital. He later became a stay-at-home dad and devoted his attention to his two adopted children, a parade of much-adored Labrador retrievers, and his beloved Eagles. There was little in his life that he approached with anything less than complete and passionate enthusiasm, from traveling to coaching youth sports to the places he loved the most, such as the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia and the Jersey shore. Above all he was devoted to those who were lucky enough to be counted among his friends and family. In addition to his wife, he is survived by son Michael, daughter Holly, and sisters Sally and Victoria.
