Obituary of Thomas Arthur Schaffer

Thomas Arthur Schaffer, AKA Smokey, passed away April 15, 2014. The son of Arthur W. Schaffer and Edith Kennedy Schaffer, he was born in Hokendauqua, PA, raised in Northampton where he attended Coplay High School and graduated in 1955. Upon Tom's graduation he attended Muhlenberg College. Various careers in the early part of his life led him to his position at Mack Trucks in Allentown where he started his family. In 1981 his family moved to Blooming Grove, PA where he worked for PennDOT until his retirement. Tom had a love of cars and racing. He raced at Nazareth Speedway and had built a show car for which he won many awards and trophies. He had won himself a few features in Hot Rod Magazine, Car and Driver and raced with many great race car drivers of that time period. Tom also loved fishing. His passion for fishing led him to start his hobby of making fishing lures, which eventually became a family business for the greater part of his life. "L& D Lures" was located in every home he had where he manufactured lures for stores and friends. In his early years he was a tournament fisherman, and a member of Bassmasters and was known to fish all over the eastern seaboard and Canada with his friends. More recently he would spend his time with his closest friends fishing on Blue Heron Lake and on the many streams and lakes around his home. Tom also liked to shoot trap and target; he was an avid hunter also, but his true passion was fishing. Tom and his family also were the owners of the Blooming Grove Tavern for a number of years. You could find Tom there with his friends telling tall tales of fishing, hunting and race car driving. Tom was a wonderful and loving husband, father, and friend. He would move mountains to help anyone in need. Tom is survived by his daughter Wendy, his sister-in-law Paula Lasky and husband Bob, sister-in-law Ann Hafer and husband Charles, brother-in-law Jack Longhenry and wife Lorraine, brother-in-law James Longhenry, sister-in-law Bonnie Daniels-Buzzelli, several nieces and nephews, and great nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his wife Joyce M. Longhenry Schaffer in 2008, his parents and nephews John and Michael Longhenry. A Memorial Mass will be held at Good Shepherd Roman Catholic Church, Rt 402 and Blooming Grove Rd., Blooming Grove, on Saturday, April 26, at 11:30 AM. Visitation will be held at the church prior to the service from 10:30 to 11:30 AM. Tom will be missed greatly by his family, friends and especially his daughter Wendy. She asks that memorial contributions be made to the American Cancer Society- Head and Neck Division and the Lung Division- in both her parents' names.