Robert J. Schaefer of Mount Airy, Maryland, passed away on November 15, 2015. Born June 9, 1939 in New Rochelle, New York, he was the son of Robert A. Schaefer and Mary L. Newhall. He graduated from the Noble and Greenough School in Dedham, Massachusetts in 1956, and went on to receive his B.A. and Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1960 and 1964, respectively. His specialty was metallurgy, and he spent his career working for the federal government, first at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington D.C., and later at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Gaithersburg, Maryland.
An explorer and adventurer at heart, he greatly enjoyed the outdoors and made numerous canoeing expeditions in Arctic and sub-Arctic wilderness regions, primarily in the Barren Lands of northern Canada, and two in Siberia. He was a lifelong avid birdwatcher, and made many birding trips abroad including Ecua-dor, Peru, and Australia. He was also very active in local environmental organi-zations and served turns as president of the Audubon Society of Central Mary-land and the Frederick Bird Club, and in many other positions and volunteer ac-tivities with these organizations.
He is survived by his wife of 41 years, Karin Wuertz-Schaefer; his daughter, Sylvia Schaefer; his sister, Lucile Henricks; and his brother, John. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the American Bird Conservancy, P.O. Box 249, The Plains, VA 20198. A memorial service to remember and celebrate his life will be held on Saturday, January 16, 2016 at 11 a.m. at the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, 4200 Olney-Laytonsville Rd., Olney, MD 20832.
The Washington Post
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