Jill Ivy Schaefer passed away peacefully on the evening of Saturday, May 17 from complications of a stroke, with her family present throughout the process. Jill had reached her 90th birthday in February.

Born February 18, 1935, in London, England, Jill's life was colorful and action packed, joyful and tragic, equal to the history of the time in which she lived. The United Kingdom declared war on Nazi Germany in 1939. Everyone's lives, even Jill's at age four, were to change irrevocably. As a six year old during the London blitz Jill recounted avoiding unexploded bombs and picking up shrapnel on her way to school, the winner on the playground having found the largest piece. A bedroom wall in the London house she lived was blown to pieces during one German nighttime raid, which would have killed her father if not for him sheltering downstairs under the iron table, a practice he usually didn't do. Hard to imagine that not too many years later Jill would marry a German.

After the war, the teenage Jill made the decision to save up money working at a Barclay's bank and move to America. In 1954 Jill and a good friend left Southampton, England on the Royal Mail Ship Queen Mary bound for New York City. Arriving after a five day passage, Jill then embarked on a cross country Grey Hound bus trip along Route 66 heading west to California. You can only imagine what a Grey Hound trip in the mid-50's America on Route 66 was like! Actually, you don't have to. Jill published a book in 2011 called, "Coming Of Age In California -English Style-" (she wouldn't be ashamed for you to know it is available on Amazon, along with her other books) a fictionalized autobiography where names are changed to protect the guilty. By 1959 Jill was living in San Francisco, working for the Miss America contest, when she felt it was time to visit her parents again. Returning to London, Jill was seeing the land of her birth with new, American world-wisened eyes. She was a tourist in her own city. At Speakers' Corner by Hyde Park Jill spied a handsome young man of about her age in the crowd. Jill recounts she turned to leave after enjoying the view when she told herself, If I don't take the initiative and speak to that good-looking young man, the opportunity would be lost forever. Living in San Francisco for a couple of years had diminished some of the demureness of that English rose. It turned out the young man was Horst Schaefer just arrived from Germany, could barely speak English, and had never been outside his country. They spent the rest of the day sightseeing, and married six weeks later.

Then came the years of moving back and forth between England and Germany. First was Germany, which experienced its bitterest of winters in 1959; five years in sunny California did not prepare Jill for the relentless cold. And she couldn't speak the language, and postwar resentment would commonly be directed her way. Pregnant with her first child, Jill and Horst returned back to London where Stefan was born in 1960. Martin followed in 1962, with Peter in 1965. Then back to Germany until 1968. Then back to England in 1969.

In 1971, Jill and Horst took a vacation to the US where Jill showed Horst some or the sights from her life there from the 1950's. On the west coast in California they stopped overnight in a small coastal seaside town called Santa Barbara. Santa Barbara was still recovering from a historic 1969 oil spill, and the owner of the Blue Sands Motel down by East Beach where Jill and Horst were staying was eager to sell. Returning to London Jill told her sons she had a lovely holiday thank you very much, and by the way we've bought a motel and we're moving to California. Jill and Horst sold their house and possessions, the two parents and three young boys now living in spare rooms cooking on hot plates in Jill's parent's house, waiting for the immigration papers to arrive. Three years later they finally did. Green Cards in hand Jill and Horst and three sons flew from metropolitan London to their new lives running a motel on the beach in Santa Barbara. The motel did well (as with most immigrants, Jill and Horst were natural American entrepreneurs). They bought a house with a pool, they sold the motel and bought a donut shop, and then the Goleta Bakery, baking being Horst's first vocation learned in Germany.  The businesses were successful, and Jill with Horst entered into the life of the semi-retired. They downsized their possessions, kept their lives simple, and traveled at home and abroad. "In Quest of the Old West" is another of Jill's books about their road trips in the western half of the US.

Jill and Horst settled down for the last time 50 miles north of Santa Barbara in the agricultural town of Lompoc. Once slated to be the western space port for the shuttle program, following the Challenger disaster it was not to be. SpaceX now launches its rockets right over Jill's house. In Lompoc Jill published a short novel, two fictional autobiographies, and a travelogue; earned an Associates Degree from Allan Hancock Community College; played much tennis and then pickleball; practiced yoga, tai chi, and pool aerobics; loved going to local concerts and music recitals; never missed an opportunity to polish her moves on the dance floor, line dancing in particular was something Jill and Horst became good at and enjoyed tremendously; Jill was an avid contributor to the Scribblers writing group; a dedicated mentor of English language learners through the local literacy program, and for many years Jill ushered at plays for the Pacific Conservatory Theater in Santa Maria and Solvang. Jill traveled the world, adored cruises and never said no to an adventure.

Jill loved life. She loved her friends. She loved her social life and all its activities. If human bodies refused to wear out, Jill would have kept going for another hundred years, another thousand years.

Jill is preceded in death by her exceptional husband Horst, and her adored eldest son Stefan. She is survived by her two remaining loving sons Martin and Peter, their wives Mary and Michelle, and by Mary's children Reya and Dominic.

We all love you and miss you Jill. Mum. Joma. If we could do it all over again, we would. And just maybe we will…

To learn more about Jill's life, her books are available on Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=jill+schaefer&crid=2G3PY70EVEWOV&sprefix=jill+schaefer,aps,221&ref=nb_sb_noss

A Celebration of Life will be held on Sunday, June 29, 2025, from 3:30pm - 5:30pm at the Dick DeWees Center, 1120 W. Ocean Ave., Lompoc, CA.