William Cornelius Schaefer August 24, 1925 - January 23, 2020

January 31, 2020

William ("Bill") Schaefer, of Lincoln, passed away at the Veterans Home of Arkansas in Fayetteville, at the age of 94. He was born, in Hunter. Bill was a Christian and accepted Christ at age 37, in the summer of 1962. He attended Zion Christian Union Church in Fayetteville, and previously attended the Lincoln United Methodist Church and Memorial Drive United Methodist Church in Tulsa, OK.

Bill served during WWII in the army’s 70th Division/ Trailblazers, and was wounded, MIA and a POW during the Battle of the Bulge in northern France. Bill was awarded the Purple Heart, Oak Leaf Cluster and Bronze Star. After the war, he attended the University of Arkansas and obtained an education in accounting. He worked for several years as an accountant for Sinclair Oil Company in Tulsa, OK. After moving to Tulsa, Bill met the love of his life, Virginia Collins, and married her in 1959. During the Tulsa years, Bill and Virginia started their family, which included four boys; Steve, Donnie, David and Scott. Bill started a second career in 1969 when he and Virginia moved to Lincoln and bought a chicken and cattle farm. There they continued raising their four boys, worked in their careers and occupations and enjoyed going to their children’s activities, summer picnics, family get togethers, church and church-related activities.

Bill greatly enjoyed the outdoors, hunting and fishing. His love for the outdoors started as a boy in the “flat woods” as he called them.

Bill was preceded in death by his wife, Virginia (Collins) Schaefer, his parents, William Henry and Della Mae (Brittingham) Schaefer, and one sister, Emma Iota (Schaefer) Vanaman and an infant brother. Bill’s survivors include one sister, Thelma Marie (Schaefer) Spencer, four sons, Stephen Cornelius Schaefer of Lincoln, and his children Harrison and his wife Brianna Schaefer, Dotson and Emma-Kate, Donnie Schaefer of Bentonville, David Schaefer, his wife Brenda (Carney) Schaefer of Hindsville and their children Caleb and Crystal, and William Scott Schaefer of Kansas City, MO, and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

The memorial service will be Friday, January 31, 2020 at 10:30 a.m. at Zion Church, 4984 W. Wedington Dr., Fayetteville, with interment at noon at the Fayetteville National Cemetery, 700 Government Ave, Fayetteville. Immediately following the interment service, family and friends are invited to attend a luncheon hosted by Zion Church. Arrangements were made by Beard’s Funeral Chapel in Fayetteville.

Memorials may be made to the Arkansas Christian Union Youth Camp c/o Melba Collins, 573 N Columbia Dr, Fayetteville, AR 72704.