Jerrold Charles Schaefer
November 10, 1941 - December 14, 2017
Jerrold (Jerry) passed away on December 14, 2017, with his wife Rosa and friends by his side, following a 17-year battle with a blood disorder that became leukemia.
Jerry, a third generation San Franciscan, was the first child born to Emmett and Bernice Schaefer. He grew up in the Sunset and attended St. Gabriel Grammar School and St. Ignatius High School, Class of 1959. He received a B.A. in Political Science from Stanford University in 1963 and attended law school at U.C. Hastings, where he received his J.D. in 1966.
Jerry practiced labor law, first with the National Labor Relations Board (19661975), and in 1975 was appointed by a younger, then Governor Jerry Brown as Deputy General Counsel to the California Agricultural Labor Relations Board. In 1976 he went into private practice at Corbett, Kane & Berk. In 1984, he joined Hanson, Bridgett LLP as a founding partner in the Labor Section. He handled labor negotiations at UC Berkeley, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District and finally, SonomaMarin Area Rail Transit, until June 2017, when his illness prevented further involvement. During his years at Hanson Bridgett, Jerry mentored many new attorneys, who benefited from his breadth of knowledge, experience, and wit.
Jerry’s work specialty may have been law, but his passions reached farther, and included cooking, wine collecting, art history, music, and travel (all continents except Antarctica). He was a scuba diver and an avid rock and mountain climber, having climbed the Matterhorn and the base camp at Mt. Everest. Truly a Renaissance man, Jerry was a voracious reader on a wide variety of subjects.
Jerry loved world travel, first with his wife of 25 years, Susan Davidson, then with his partner of 7 years, Paula Paley, and finally for 18 years with his wife, Rosa Carrillo. Jerry passed on his love of travel to family, inspiring a new generation of world travelers.
Jerry was most comfortable when cooking feasts for his family and many friends at his Bernal Heights home, from his traditional Good Friday Cioppino nights and gourmet birthday dinners, to his Super Bowl Sunday spreads. An intuitive cook, he once placed first in a creative cooking contest sponsored by the Oakland Tribune for a recipe he created while stuck in traffic.
Jerry will be remembered for his generosity of spirit, quick mind, strong commitment to equity and justice, and irascible sense of humor. What made Jerry happiest were the days, then years, spent with his best friend, soul mate, and wife Rosa. The deep love they shared brought great joy to both of them, and to all those who were privileged to witness it. He is survived by Rosa, his siblings Susan Lagomarsino (Joe), brother Thom (Dena), step-brother Terry Edeli (Kathy) and 5 cousins, 12 nephews and nieces, and 9 great nephews and nieces.
The family would like to thank the Hematology/ Oncology Department at California Pacific Medical Center, the oncology nurses and staff at Bryan Hemming Cancer Care Center, and the wonderful doctors and staff at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center who treated Jerry and his family and friends with respect and a great deal of compassion. Lastly, we extend our thanks to the unsung everyday heroes who donate blood, which was so vital in keeping Jerry alive during his final months.
A private family memorial will be held in January, with a larger Celebration of Life to be held in the Spring.
In remembrance of our beloved Jerry, the family requests donations be made to the Bernice and Emmett Schaefer Scholarship Fund at St. Ignatius College Preparatory, 2001-37th Avenue, SF CA 94116, or blood donations to the Blood Centers of the Pacific.