Alice Kay Schaffer

Alice Kay Schaffer (née Madsen) passed away peacefully at Bergan Medical Center in Omaha, NE on December 5, 2013. Alice was born March 12, 1946 in Fort Dodge, IA, the daughter of Arnold Otto Madsen and Therma Rosalyn Madsen. The family, including Alice’s two older sisters Joan and Nancy, lived in Exira, IA before moving to Guthrie Center, IA where Alice graduated high school in 1964.
Alice’s first marriage to radio personality Jerry Leroy Sheeder produced one son, Todd Fitzgerald Sheeder, born May 28th, 1964. After the divorce, Alice and Todd relocated to Corning, IA, where she was married to Vietnam War veteran Laverne Dean “Bud” Schaffer Jr. in 1971. This second marriage also produced one son, Mark Alan Schaffer, born November 14th, 1974. Alice and Bud divorced in 1980.
During her years in Corning, Alice worked as a switchboard operator at Uarco, a bartender at the Retreat and a denture technician for Drs. Muschamp, King and Peterson. She also launched a number of businesses selling her original crafts including tie-dyed t-shirts, jewelry and porcelain dolls. A devoted enthusiast of the arts, Alice enjoyed reading, painting and singing, with musical tastes ranging from Elvis Presley to Bruce Springsteen. Her greatest passion though was cinema. She boasted an impressive collection of movies and memorabilia, and her knowledge of film trivia was boundless.
Alice is preceded in death by her parents, her stepfather Joseph Andersen and her ex-husband Jerry Sheeder.
Left to cherish Alice’s memory are her son, Todd Sheeder and wife Teresa Sheeder of Lee’s Summit, MO; son, Mark Schaffer of New York, NY; grandchildren, Lewis Sheeder, Megan Sheeder and Lauren Sheeder of Lee’s Summit, MO; sister, Joan Sorensen and husband Charles Sorenson of Audubon, IA; sister, Nancy Madsen-Taylor of Lincoln, NE; former daughter-in-law Dr. Sarah Schaffer of New York, NY and countless other relatives and friends.