MATTHEW TAYLOR SCHAEFER
Matthew Taylor Schafer, 28, of Abilene, died Sunday, Aug. 31, 2014, as the result of injuries received in an airplane crash in which his brother, Richard W. Schafer III, also died.
Funeral services were held Friday, Sept. 5, at 2 p.m. at Hillcrest Church of Christ in Abilene with Jack Hardcastle officiating.
Graveside services with military honors and interment were held Saturday, Sept. 6, at 1 p.m. at Greenwood Cemetery in Fredericksburg.
Schafer was born Sept. 12, 1985, in Austin, the son of Richard W. (Rick) Schafer Jr. and Margaret Elizabeth (Beth) White Schafer. He married Victoria Komorowski on April 3, 2010, in Fredericksburg, and she survives.
A 2004 graduate of Fredericksburg High School, Schafer was a United States Air Force veteran, serving for nine years. During his time in the Air Force, he was in the 7th AMXS Squadron and the 7th Civil Engineer Squadron. He was deployed three times, twice in the Middle East and once in Haiti.
Schafer worked at the Robertson Unit of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice in Abilene as a correctional officer.
In addition to his wife, Schafer is survived by two sons, Wyatt Andrew Schafer and John Luke Schafer, all of Abilene.
Survivors also include his parents, Rick and Beth Schafer of Fredericksburg; his parents-in-law, Ted and Beth Komorowski of Abilene, and one sister, Stephanie Taylor of Blanco.
Along with his brother, Schafer was preceded in death by his paternal grandmother and fraternal grandparents.
Memorials may be made to the Schafer Children’s Fund or to the charity of choice.
Funeral arrangements in Abilene were under the direction of North’s Funeral Home, while Schaetter Funeral Home was in charge of local arrangements.