Dr. William Harry Schaffer Jr., 98, went to be with his Lord and Savior on July 13, 2026.
Born in Covington, KY, on May 5, 1928, Harry was raised in the Philadelphia area and attended Upper Darby High School. During his undergraduate years at the agricultural college of the Penn State main campus, Harry was a member of the Alpha Zeta fraternity and the founding editor of the college’s agricultural newsletter.
Following graduation, Harry joined the Pennsylvania State Cooperative Extension Service, where he was assigned to the Lebanon County office as assistant county agent. During those early years as a county agent, he met the love of his life, Ruth Ellene Curran, whom he married on March 29, 1952.
From 1954-56, Harry served in the U.S. Army, stationed stateside during the end of the Korean conflict. He returned to his position in the county extension office and purchased a farm in South Annville Township, where the two of them remained for the rest of their lives.
A firm believer in “practice what you preach,” Harry loved both farming and working with other farmers in his work as a county agent. A most notable contribution to his community was serving as the key advisor in the development of the Lebanon Area Fair, including the purchase of the current fairgrounds.
A joyous lover of life with a gregarious personality, Harry loved music, especially Dixieland jazz and improvisation on his home piano. He and Ruth raised two children, Dr. Ted Schaffer (Nancy) and Amy Schaffer Thomas (Mark), both living in the Pittsburgh region. They were proud grandparents of six grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren, and were ardent supporters of their grandchildren’s activities.
Known for his enthusiastic and lifelong love of learning, Harry returned to the classroom in his 40s and obtained his Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from Cornell University in 1974. Thereafter, he served as a regional supervisor for the Cooperative Extension Service. When not at work or following the activities of his progeny, Harry could be found piloting his Beechcraft Bonanza airplane, tending to his bountiful garden, or worshiping at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in Annville.
A celebration of life will be held on Friday, July 17, 2026, at 1 p.m., at Kreamer Funeral Home & Crematory Inc., 618 E. Main St., Annville, PA. Interment will follow at Mount Annville Cemetery. A viewing will be held from 11:30 a.m. until the time of his service at the funeral home.
