Brett Thomas Schafman

Obituary

Brett Thomas Schafman, age 65, passed away peacefully at his home in The Villages, Florida on September 1st, 2024 after a 16-month battle with pancreatic cancer.
Brett was born on August 23rd, 1959 in Rockford, Illinois to Gerald (Jerry) and Mildred (Milly) Schafman. He graduated from Rockford West High School in 1977. During his childhood, Brett was active in Boy Scouts and went on many adventures with his father and his older brother Mark.
Brett met his wife of 43 years, Jolene Schafman, while working toward their Bachelors degrees in Electrical Engineering at the University of Illinois. Soon after their graduation in 1981, Brett and Jolene were married and moved across the country to Portland, Oregon. During their 38 years in Portland, Brett built a career in semiconductor manufacturing working for Intel, Ateq and finally Lattice Semiconductor, from which he retired as the Director of Foundry Operations after 28 years with the company. Brett traveled frequently to Southeast Asia during his career and would bring back stories and gifts to his family and friends. Among his many accomplishments, he was a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, attained a patent, and authored multiple scientific publications.
Brett and Jolene raised their three children in Oregon and built a wide community of friends and associates. He was a hard-working and attentive father, supported his two sons in their Boy Scouts pursuits, and encouraged his children to explore interests in art, music, and athletics. He will be remembered through his fishing trips with his sons in Oregon and art projects with his daughter. He witnessed all three of his children’s weddings before his death.
Brett was known as a Renaissance man and polymath, with varied interests spanning the fields of art, music, medicine, language, fishing, and philosophy. He spent several years moonlighting as a professional photographer, excelled at oil painting and Latin drumming, and studied sculpture and religious iconography. Along with his wife, Brett was active at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Beaverton, Oregon and donated multiple art pieces to the church. He was a patron and collector of art and a great writer and speaker. His strong interest in Eastern and Western medicine and philosophy, anatomy, and neuroscience led him to obtain his Professional License as a Massage Therapist in 2000, and he practiced for 20 years simultaneously with his engineering career. He was known for his intensity, storytelling, wealth of knowledge, and humor.
Brett retired to The Villages, Florida in 2019 with Jolene, where he continued to pursue many of these interests and developed a passion for golf and the cultivation of bonsai trees. At his passing, Brett had 30 trees in his care under development. He approached
this practice mindfully, as an extension of his artistic interests and his eye for color and design.
Brett is predeceased by his mother Milly and survived by his wife Jolene; father Jerry; son Daniel and his wife Ashley; daughter Michelle and her husband Anthony; son Gabriel and his wife Abbey; brother Mark and his wife Carol and their children Jenny, Nikki, and Mark, and many friends and associates in the Pacific Northwest and throughout the world. He will be deeply missed and remembered in our hearts and through the artistic pieces that he leaves behind.
The family is planning to hold memorial services in The Villages, Florida in early 2025. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Brett’s name to a charity of your choice or to Cornerstone Hospice, who were essential in bringing Brett home to pass away peacefully in his own bed (Cornerstone Hospice & Palliative Care Foundation, 601 Casa Bella, The Villages, FL 32162).
Arrangements entrusted with Baldwin Brothers Funeral and Cremation Society-Wildwood. Sentiments are encouraged at www.baldwincremation.com.