Kathleen Anne (Clune) Schaeffer, formerly of Franklin, died peacefully at her daughter Anne Heffel’s home in Wrentham on Thursday, July 5. She was the wife of the late J. William “Jack” Schaeffer who died in 1987.
Born in Cambridge, the first daughter of the late Martin Francis and Johanna “Anne” (Culloty) Clune, Mrs. Schaeffer was raised in Belmont and had been a resident of Franklin for the past 47 years.
She was a graduate of Belmont High School. After raising her four daughters, she attended and graduated suma cum laude from the University of Rhode Island where she received her bachelor’s degree in English and History. Upon her graduation from URI, she was elected into Phi Kappa Phi Honor society. In addition, she was conferred membership into Phi Alpha Theta society in recognition of her attainments and scholarship in the field of History.
While bringing up her family, she worked at the Watertown Public Library before she moved to Franklin where she worked at Dean College library.
She was a communicant of St. Mary's Church in Franklin and was a member of the Catholic Women's Club.
An avid reader, Kathleen was one of the founding members of the Franklin Library’s Great Books Discussion Club. She was also a former member of the Franklin Garden club.
Kathleen was very proud of her Irish ancestry and was known for singing and listening to her Irish music and telling stories about her Irish heritage which she instilled in her daughters.
She learned and enjoyed more of her heritage after two tours in Ireland. In her 80’s, while on one trip to Ireland, she attended Cork City College. She and late husband were also active members of the Irish Round Tower Club in Milford.
She is survived by her daughters Maura Schaeffer Jobin of Franklin, Anne Heffel and Sheila Giordano of Wrentham. She was the mother of the late Jacqueline “Jacqui” A. Schaeffer.
She was the sister of the late Maureen “Mamie” DiPrima, mother in-law of the late Preston D. Heffel and grandmother of the late Elizabeth K. Giordano.
She is also survived by her loving grandchildren, Sean Jobin and his wife Sarah of Franklin, Johanna Jobin of Cambridge, Kathleen Holtz and her husband Joshua of Newton, Ryan and Scott Heffel of Wrentham and Jack Giordano of Brighton.
She is also survived by her great-grandchildren, Ella Marie Jobin and Connor Preston Jobin of Franklin, her niece Siobhan Dunham of Saratoga Springs, New York and her nephew Richard “Rocky” DiPrima of Duxbury.
Her funeral will be held on Wednesday July 11 from the Ginley Funeral Home of Franklin, 131 Main St. in Franklin at 9:15 a.m. followed by a funeral Mass in St. Mary’s Church at 10:00.
Interments will be in the parish cemetery.
Calling hours will be on Tuesday from 4-7 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to either the Jacqueline A. Schaeffer Theatre Arts Memorial Scholarship at Franklin High School, payable to the Town of Franklin, Attn: M.J. Mendes, 2nd floor, c/o Franklin Public Schools, 355 E. Central St. Franklin, MA 02038, or the Elizabeth K. Giordano’s Hummingbird Music and Arts Foundation, PO Box 102, Wrentham, MA 02093.