On January 11, 2022, the Lord brought David Schafer home to his side after a longtime struggle with Parkinson's Disease. David was born on May 11, 1944 to Emanuel and Erma Schafer in Kalamazoo, MI. David lived the majority of his life on the family farm outside of Hopkins, MI. He graduated from Hopkins High School. He married Geraldine Blackwood on July 23,1985. They raised their family of six children on the farm. David was a longtime dairy farmer but also worked a number of supplementary jobs as well. David enjoyed the outdoors and raising animals. He also really enjoyed woodworking when time allowed for it. He had a wide-ranging skill set that included everything from cooking to welding. David was a lifelong learner who loved to read. He especially loved time in God's Word which he regarded as of utmost importance. For the majority of his life, he was a member at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Hopkins, MI. David loved Jesus, his Savior. He demonstrated his trust in Jesus often. The Lord gave him great strength and joy even in very difficult times. He showed his family well what it looked like to hope in the Lord and his gospel. David loved his family deeply and is survived by his wife Geraldine and a sister Julia (Harold) Boylan. He is further survived by his children: Jerry Foote, Newlin (Emily) Schafer, Elyshia (Nate) Hoekstra, Kandi (Marco) Rosales, Emanuel (Colette) Schafer, and Jade Schafer. He is also survived by grandchildren, Judah, Hank, Boaz, Cora, Lea, Lily, Isabell, Amelia, Ben, Lincoln, Evelyn. He is survived by many loved nieces, nephews, grandnieces, and grandnephews. Finally, he is survived by his dear church family at St. Paul. David's Christian funeral will be held Saturday, January 15, 2022 at St. Paul's Lutheran Church of Hopkins, MI at 2907 24th St. Hopkins, MI 49328 at 11 am, Pastor Don Seelhoff presiding. A visitation will precede the funeral from 10 to 11 am. 13 Then I heard a voice from heaven say, "Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on" (Revelation 14:13a). Service Details. Christian Funeral Service When: Saturday, January 15th, 2022 11:00am Location: St. Paul's Lutheran Church Address: 2907 24th Street Hopkins, Michigan 49328 Online Memory & Photo Sharing Event Ongoing Online Event About this event In Loving Memory Of David Schafer May 11, 1944 - January 11, 2022 Look inside to read what others have shared Family and friends are coming together online to create a special keepsake. Every memory left on the online obituary will be automatically included in this book. View Tribute Book