Business pioneer Schaefer dies at 91
John C. Schaefer of Nisswa, a pioneer in the lakes area business community, died Saturday. He was 91.
Schaefer and his brother, Ted, owned Schaefer's Model Market in Brainerd. Schaefer was one of the founders of Ski Gull and Brainerd National Bank.
Family members remembered Schaefer as a humble, active man, an energetic skier, and a hard-working businessman.
When Jesse Compton was 16, he started working for Schaefer's Model Market in Brainerd, in what is now the Office Shop. He became a meat cutter and manager and now, at nearly 58, is the dairy manager at Schaefer's Foods in Nisswa.
"He was the first one at work," Compton said of Schaefer. "He was honest and hardworking and he expected his employees to be the same way. He taught me a lot. He was a great boss. I just had a lot of respect for John."
John Schaefer
Compton said Schaefer was honest and direct and people knew where they stood with him. Working for Schaefer taught Compton that doing an honest day's work was how employees gained respect with the boss.
When Compton was 18 and trying to buy his first vehicle, he was turned down for a bank loan. He didn't know his boss was even aware of his efforts to get a truck until Schaefer asked him how the purchase was going. Schaefer suggested that Compton try Brainerd National Bank and he offered to put in a call for his teenage employee. Compton remembers Schaefer's words after that phone call.
"He said 'go get your truck, I'm co-signing for you,'" Compton said. "That's the guy that John was. What can you say about a guy who would do that for you? That's just the way John was.
"I really enjoyed working for him. He was a very direct person but he was a nice person. You couldn't ask for a better boss."
Dan Wilson vividly remembers being desperate for a job in 1972 and going to Schaefer's home in search of one. He found Schaefer in his yard mowing the lawn and got the job. At that time there were four grocery stores - two in Brainerd, one in Little Falls and one in Nisswa. Soon Wilson, now a meat specialist at Schaefer's Foods in Nisswa, will have 40 years in with the family company.
"He was a great guy, just a wonderful person," Wilson said. "He was the person who got me a job and got me going."
Joe Minkel has a similar story. Now in Brainerd for 35 years, Minkel arrived here from Chicago with his wife and family.
"John gave me my start in Brainerd," Minkel said. "I owe John Schaefer a lot. I really respected the man. I worked with him for six years and it touched me when his daughter told me he was in tough shape."
Minkel said Schaefer was energetic and seemed 10 years younger than his age.
"John was very active he was always doing something - playing tennis, playing golf, walking - he was always very active," Minkel said. "I have a lot of respect for that man. He was a pioneer. He was an icon in this area back in the '60s and '70s."
Said Schaefer's grandson, Tim Holmes: "He was a man who never acted his age. He never allowed himself to slow down, whether he was playing tennis, golf, skiing or just taking care of his lawn. He took great pride in his family and always enjoyed gatherings when he got to see his grandchildren and great-grandchildren."
Holmes said one of his grandfather's greatest loves was carving duck decoys.
"He was incredibly humble about his talent, even though his finished product could've brought in lots of money. He never wanted to sell them, but rather gifted them to his kids and grandchildren," Holmes said. "I was always in awe watching him in the basement as he carved. I remember him saying 'you just carve away anything that doesn't look like a duck.' It was that easy to him.
"He taught me from a young age the importance of hard work and being a man of your word. He was a gentleman but also a businessman who worked hard and expected the same from his employees."
A memorial service will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at First Lutheran Church in Brainerd. Visitation is one hour prior to the service at the church.
RENEE RICHARDSON may be reached at renee.richardson@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5852.