James John Schafer Sr.

James John Schafer, Sr., age 94 of Cottage Grove, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, October 11, 2023.

James is preceded in death by his beloved wife Audrey. James is survived by his 3 children: James Jr (Patty), Raymond (Kimberly), and Julie (Robin). He is also survived by 9 grandchildren: Raymond (Beth), Nicole (Jason), Daniel (Holly), Kalli, Gracie, Charlie, Ellie, Sam, and Ava; and 13 great-grandchildren: Brooklyn, Aubree, Jaxon, Jace, Payton, Tristan, Bentley, Landon, Kaine, Vincent, Skylar, Elena and Addison.

Jim will be remembered and cherished by his family and friends for his amazing smile, good nature, and great sense of humor. Jim was a proud veteran who served his country on the front lines in Korea and a hard-working laborer with Local 563. In his free time, he enjoyed fishing, Twins baseball, and playing cards. He also enjoyed eating all the tomatoes and onions directly from the garden and passing out candy to everyone and anyone he came into contact with.

Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:30 AM, Friday, October 20, 2023, at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, 920 Holley Ave, St. Paul Park, MN 55071 with visitation beginning at 9:30 AM. A visitation will also be held 4-7 PM, Thursday, October 19, 2023 at Kok Funeral Home, 7676 80^th St. S., Cottage Grove, MN 55016. Interment will take place at General Lutheran Cemetery in S. St. Paul, MN.

For those who would like to participate in Jim's service via livestream, you can watch the service on Friday, October 20, 2023 at 10:30 AM.  It can be viewed by scrolling to the bottom of this page, and "CLICK PLAY" to begin.  Please leave a message of support on our Tribute Wall to let the family know you were able to watch the service.  If you are having troubles with the Livestream, please accept our apologies, but the service will be available to watch later in the day.