Arthur Bernard Schaffer, 87, of Redfield, SD, beloved husband and father, passed away peacefully at Avera St. Luke's Hospital surrounded by the ones he laughed with, lived for, and loved on May 4, 2013. Mass of Christian Burial will be Thursday, May 9th at 10:30 a.m. at St. Bernard's Catholic Church in Redfield. Father Christopher Hughes will celebrate the mass. Burial will be in the St. Bernard's Cemetery. Visitation will be Wednesday from 1-7:00 p.m. at Thelen Funeral Home with a rosary and scriptural wake service honoring Arthur at 7:00 pm. Art's family will be present to accept condolences from 5:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m. www.thelenfuneralhome.com

Arthur was born May 18, 1925 in Hand County, SD to Joseph and Lena (Schade) Schaffer. He attended country school where his formal education was completed through the 8th grade.

Arthur started his farming career near Zell, South Dakota at an early age with his mother and brothers. During this time, he met, courted, and married Barbara Leesch on October 23, 1956. He continued farming with a move to the Leesch farm in 1966. He continued farming near Ashton, SD until he semi-retired in 1988. He rented out the farmland while continuing to keep a small herd of cattle until fully retiring in 1995.

Besides his wife Barbara, Arthur is survived by his four daughters and two sons: Cathy Schaffer of Brookings, SD; Janet (Tom) Wanttie of Aberdeen, SD; Christine (Jim) Lindberg of Sioux Falls, SD; Dorothy Vick of Ellensburg, WA; Mark (Susan) Schaffer of Redfield and Douglas Schaffer of Ashton. Arthur is also survived by 13 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren.

Arthur loved playing baseball in his younger days playing with amateur teams in Zell, Rockham, Tulare and Redfield including the 1954 state amateur championship team. He went on to play fast pitch and slow pitch softball for many years. His love for baseball included being a lifelong fan of the Minnesota Twins and an even bigger fan of all his children and grandchildren's activities. Arthur also had a great love of music which he passed along to all his family.

He was predeceased by his parents Joseph and Lena Schaffer, his sister Edna Noonan and his brothers: Paul, Nicholas, Albert Ambrose, George and Edward and one infant son Nicholas.

The family would like to express their sincere gratitude to the staff at St. Luke's. Their dedication and effort to provide quality care over Arthur's last few days was a heartwarming blessing to the entire family. We thank God for the gift of his life and the blessing of the time we spent with him.