Margaret 'Mickey" Schaefer

Margaret “Mickey” Schaefer, 69, was a selfless and devoted mother, friend, sister, and soon-to-be grandmother. She passed away unexpectedly on Wednesday, November 8th, in Madison, surrounded by her beloved family and friends. 

Mickey was born in Green Bay, WI on September 23, 1954. She attended Annunciation Grade School and graduated from Green Bay West High School in 1972, where she was homecoming queen her senior year. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in special education and she earned her Master’s Degree in exercise and human performance at UW-LaCrosse. She was a dedicated special education teacher at Memorial High School in Madison for 35 years, and continued her path in education even after retirement as a substitute teacher and through her cherished work with Project Search at the VA hospital. 

Mickey enjoyed cross country skiing, biking, and walking dogs among other hobbies. She skied the American Birkebeiner held in Hayward, WI, biked the 100 mile Door County Century, and completed a marathon in Milwaukee, WI.

More recently, she spent her days volunteering to walk and care for dogs at animal shelters, including Shelter from the Storm in Madison. This passion naturally extended to the fierce care and love she gave to her own dogs, Auggie and Muffin†, as well as her “granddoggy,” Kiba. But she didn’t stop there - despite her early bedtime, Mickey would spring into action at a moment’s notice to search for lost dogs in the area. She is responsible for reuniting so many families with their pups. 

She made sure that everyone around her knew that her daughter, Meagan, was her ultimate pride and joy in this world. Her kindness and light will undoubtedly shine through to her granddaughter, due in less than a month, to whom she is now a guardian angel.

Mickey is survived by her daughter Meagan (Sam) McAdams, her stepdaughter Whitney Abbott (David Duff) and their two daughters, Sloan (4) and Camila (1), her sisters and brother, Joan Schaefer, John (Sandi) Schaefer, Mary (Patrick) Gagan, and Sharon Schaefer, her nieces and nephews, Lesley (Ben) Koth, Jared (Susan) Schaefer, Aaron (Melissa) Schaefer, Luke (Jasmine) Schaefer, Mallory (Joe Olson) Gagan, Matt (Anne) Gagan, Jim (Starr Beckman) Gagan, and her two very best friends, Connie Daering, and her son, Justin, and Jamie Murray-Branch (Brian), and her daughters, Charmaine and Sarah. Of course, she is also survived by her aforementioned dog, Auggie, and granddoggy, Kiba, as well as her future granddaughter. She is preceded in death by parents Clayton and Margaret Schaefer and brothers Jim and Mark Schaefer. 

A memorial service will be held at CRESS FUNERAL HOME, 3610 Speedway Rd, Madison on Sunday, November 12, at 11am, following a 30 minute visitation at 10:30am.

In lieu of flowers, Mickey wishes instead for donations of any size that will go to Shelter From the Storm, where she volunteered.