Kyle Patrick Schafer, a longtime Spokane Valley area teacher, coach and mountain biking enthusiast, has died at the age of 58, exactly two years after being diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.
A celebration of his life is being held Friday, July 31, at Latah Cemetery.
A Life Rooted in the Palouse
Schafer was born in Spokane on December 8, 1967, and grew up in Latah, about 40 miles to the south. He graduated from Liberty High School in Spangle in 1986 before enrolling at Eastern Washington University. He began college studying geology but soon found his calling in language arts and education.
He went on to earn additional degrees in history and career and technical education, which allowed him to teach a wide range of subjects over the years, including humanities, the gifted program, and engineering and robotics.
It was also during his college years, at an EWU Intervarsity retreat, that he was baptized into Christ.
In 1991, he married Carolyn Sprague in Latah. The couple raised two children, Ellin and Andrew, building a household centered on faith and a shared love of the outdoors.
Three Decades in the Classroom
Schafer spent his entire 32-year teaching career at Bowdish Middle School in the Central Valley School District. Colleagues and former students remember him for his dry humor, sharp mind and calm demeanor, whether he was leading a lesson, coaching tennis or working with wrestlers on the mat.
Outside of school, Schafer was drawn to the outdoors in nearly every form. He hiked, mountain biked and camped with close friends he considered family, and he often spent quiet hours stargazing from Tekoa Mountain or watching elk from his archery tree stand. Mountain biking held a special place for him, and he loved introducing his family to the trails he knew so well.
He is survived by his wife Carolyn, children Ellin and Andrew, his mother Lynn Schafer, and his brother Craig Schafer. He was preceded in death by his father Gary Schafer and his brother Kevin Schafer.
In addition to Friday’s service, family and friends plan to gather October 10 at a mountain bike park for a day of trail maintenance and cleanup, honoring the service-minded spirit those close to him say defined his life.
