Martin Schaffner
March 13th, 1936 - January 9th, 2026
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Martin's Obituary
Martin Schaffner was born in Chicago on March 13, 1936. He spent his early years in an apartment on the corner of Sheridan and Lunt before moving with his extended family into a three-flat on Greenleaf in Rogers Park. All the cousins lived in the same building: Louis, Ann, and Ina with their parents, Bessie and Sam; and their grandparents, Shana and Hershel: Martin and his sister Hennie lived with their parents, Aron and Betty on the second floor; Martin's Aunt Fannie and Uncle Victor lived on the third floor with their children, Jerry and Essie.
A Jewish kid in Rogers Park during World War II, Martin often spoke of his childhood as a time of community and purpose. His family tended a victory garden and saved tin foil from gum and cigarette packages to be melted down into ammunition. Rogers Park was his world—kosher butcher, fish market, kosher bakery—all tiny storefronts where everyone knew everyone else. He attended Eugene Field School, Sullivan High School, and Temple B’Nai Zion, where he celebrated his Bar Mitzvah. His grandfather Hershel was deeply religious; he wouldn’t touch money on the Sabbath, but if he saw a penny on the sidewalk walking home from Shul, he would tell his grandchildren where it was so they could find it later.
Martin spent a year at the University of Illinois studying business. Although school never truly captured his interest, he was always fascinated with technology and loved to experiment. While living in a boarding house in Champaign with friends, he rigged up a contraption that connected his alarm clock to a record player and a hot plate. At the set time, the record player would drop the arm to play a bugle rendition of “Reveille” while the hot plate cooked a pot of oatmeal—oatmeal he sold to his housemates.
He was drafted during peacetime and stationed in Brooklyn, New York. Martin liked to say he was “too young for Korea and too old for Vietnam,” and he loved his time in the Army. He drove a truck and never rose above private first class, but he embraced every moment. On his first night in New York, he tried to convince his bunkmates to explore the city, but they were too wary—so he went alone and had a wonderful time. During his service, he bought a convertible, saw countless shows, visited Coney Island. After returning home, Martin joined his father, Aron, and his Uncle Victor in the family laundry business.
One night, he was set up on a double date with his friend Terry Chalmers. When one of the dates fell ill, a replacement was found—Terry Ries, who lived on the same dorm floor as Terry Chalmer’s date at Northwestern. To avoid confusion, Terry told Martin that he could call her Marge, and so he did- forever. Marge wasn’t interested in Martin at first, but he was persistent. He knew she was the one from the very beginning. Eventually, they fell in love, and Marge left Northwestern in her junior year to marry Martin. She returned to Northwestern a few years later to finish her degree. They rented an apartment in Skokie before settling at 1107 Mulford Street in Evanston, where they remained until Martin retired.
Martin and Marge had two children, Jennifer and Elizabeth. Martin was an adventurer at heart. He believed vacations should last three weeks: one to unwind, one to enjoy, and one to prepare for home. Every two years, he pulled his kids out of school for extended winter trips to places like Spain, Hawaii, Israel, Jamaica, and Mexico. He and Marge prepared for these journeys by taking evening language classes at Evanston Township High School. Later, they traveled as a couple to Portugal, Guadeloupe, and beyond.
Summer meant Union Pier, Michigan—a place Martin loved more than anywhere else. For his Bar Mitzvah, his father Aron offered him a choice between a horse and a boat. Martin chose the boat without hesitation, and from age thirteen until late in life, he always had a boat. He loved fishing—trolling for salmon, anchoring for perch—and spent countless summer days on the Acorn and Acorn II with Carl. There were waterskiing adventures (including on an ironing board) and stories of everyone falling out of the boat. Union Pier was his sanctuary.
Martin was the eternal optimist. He loved history, visiting presidential museums on cross-country road trips to Tucson, where he and Marge visited Liz and her family. He loved food and experimenting with recipes—sometimes with fiery results, like eggs in a paper bag over a bonfire or a goose that caught fire on the grill—but also with triumphs, like eggs parmesan with sherry and limpa bread. Martin embraced new technology, always the first to buy the latest gadget: microwaves, Betamax, food processors, computers, cell phones. Friends marveled as he demonstrated their wonders: “This machine can cook food in minutes without heat!” “This can record a television show so you can watch it whenever you like!”
Above all, Martin loved his family: Marge, Jennifer and Carl, Liz, Caroline and Ellis, Jacob and Taylor, and Ben. He cherished time together—around the dinner table, sitting on the deck, and during extended visits with grandchildren. Ellis spent summers in Union Pier with Martin and Marge; Caroline lived with them during winters while attending La Lumiere. Martin drove Caroline to school and dance, Ellis to soccer, and enjoyed every moment.
Martin’s life was rich with love, laughter, and adventure. He will be remembered for his optimism, curiosity, love of Judaism and devotion to family.
________________________________________
Memorial Service and Donations
Funeral Services will be held 1:00 P.M. Sunday, January 11, 2026, at Starks & Menchinger Chapel, 2650 Niles Road, St. Joseph, Michigan 49085. Burial will follow at Beth-el Cemetery, military rites conducted by Stevensville American Legion Post 568. Family and friends are invited to join. For those who are not able to attend in person, an online link is available https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87203015682?pwd=0Vx9VBBHYJXQtaPAZzU92n5C9Xphan.1
Those wishing to sign Martin’s Guestbook online may do so at www.starks-menchinger.com. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to one of the following four charities: Magen David Adom https://www.savinglivesinisrael.org ; Temple B’Nai Shalom https://tbnaishalom.org ; NAMI https://www.namichicago.org; Audubon Society https://www.audubon.org
A Jewish kid in Rogers Park during World War II, Martin often spoke of his childhood as a time of community and purpose. His family tended a victory garden and saved tin foil from gum and cigarette packages to be melted down into ammunition. Rogers Park was his world—kosher butcher, fish market, kosher bakery—all tiny storefronts where everyone knew everyone else. He attended Eugene Field School, Sullivan High School, and Temple B’Nai Zion, where he celebrated his Bar Mitzvah. His grandfather Hershel was deeply religious; he wouldn’t touch money on the Sabbath, but if he saw a penny on the sidewalk walking home from Shul, he would tell his grandchildren where it was so they could find it later.
Martin spent a year at the University of Illinois studying business. Although school never truly captured his interest, he was always fascinated with technology and loved to experiment. While living in a boarding house in Champaign with friends, he rigged up a contraption that connected his alarm clock to a record player and a hot plate. At the set time, the record player would drop the arm to play a bugle rendition of “Reveille” while the hot plate cooked a pot of oatmeal—oatmeal he sold to his housemates.
He was drafted during peacetime and stationed in Brooklyn, New York. Martin liked to say he was “too young for Korea and too old for Vietnam,” and he loved his time in the Army. He drove a truck and never rose above private first class, but he embraced every moment. On his first night in New York, he tried to convince his bunkmates to explore the city, but they were too wary—so he went alone and had a wonderful time. During his service, he bought a convertible, saw countless shows, visited Coney Island. After returning home, Martin joined his father, Aron, and his Uncle Victor in the family laundry business.
One night, he was set up on a double date with his friend Terry Chalmers. When one of the dates fell ill, a replacement was found—Terry Ries, who lived on the same dorm floor as Terry Chalmer’s date at Northwestern. To avoid confusion, Terry told Martin that he could call her Marge, and so he did- forever. Marge wasn’t interested in Martin at first, but he was persistent. He knew she was the one from the very beginning. Eventually, they fell in love, and Marge left Northwestern in her junior year to marry Martin. She returned to Northwestern a few years later to finish her degree. They rented an apartment in Skokie before settling at 1107 Mulford Street in Evanston, where they remained until Martin retired.
Martin and Marge had two children, Jennifer and Elizabeth. Martin was an adventurer at heart. He believed vacations should last three weeks: one to unwind, one to enjoy, and one to prepare for home. Every two years, he pulled his kids out of school for extended winter trips to places like Spain, Hawaii, Israel, Jamaica, and Mexico. He and Marge prepared for these journeys by taking evening language classes at Evanston Township High School. Later, they traveled as a couple to Portugal, Guadeloupe, and beyond.
Summer meant Union Pier, Michigan—a place Martin loved more than anywhere else. For his Bar Mitzvah, his father Aron offered him a choice between a horse and a boat. Martin chose the boat without hesitation, and from age thirteen until late in life, he always had a boat. He loved fishing—trolling for salmon, anchoring for perch—and spent countless summer days on the Acorn and Acorn II with Carl. There were waterskiing adventures (including on an ironing board) and stories of everyone falling out of the boat. Union Pier was his sanctuary.
Martin was the eternal optimist. He loved history, visiting presidential museums on cross-country road trips to Tucson, where he and Marge visited Liz and her family. He loved food and experimenting with recipes—sometimes with fiery results, like eggs in a paper bag over a bonfire or a goose that caught fire on the grill—but also with triumphs, like eggs parmesan with sherry and limpa bread. Martin embraced new technology, always the first to buy the latest gadget: microwaves, Betamax, food processors, computers, cell phones. Friends marveled as he demonstrated their wonders: “This machine can cook food in minutes without heat!” “This can record a television show so you can watch it whenever you like!”
Above all, Martin loved his family: Marge, Jennifer and Carl, Liz, Caroline and Ellis, Jacob and Taylor, and Ben. He cherished time together—around the dinner table, sitting on the deck, and during extended visits with grandchildren. Ellis spent summers in Union Pier with Martin and Marge; Caroline lived with them during winters while attending La Lumiere. Martin drove Caroline to school and dance, Ellis to soccer, and enjoyed every moment.
Martin’s life was rich with love, laughter, and adventure. He will be remembered for his optimism, curiosity, love of Judaism and devotion to family.
________________________________________
Memorial Service and Donations
Funeral Services will be held 1:00 P.M. Sunday, January 11, 2026, at Starks & Menchinger Chapel, 2650 Niles Road, St. Joseph, Michigan 49085. Burial will follow at Beth-el Cemetery, military rites conducted by Stevensville American Legion Post 568. Family and friends are invited to join. For those who are not able to attend in person, an online link is available https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87203015682?pwd=0Vx9VBBHYJXQtaPAZzU92n5C9Xphan.1
Those wishing to sign Martin’s Guestbook online may do so at www.starks-menchinger.com. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to one of the following four charities: Magen David Adom https://www.savinglivesinisrael.org ; Temple B’Nai Shalom https://tbnaishalom.org ; NAMI https://www.namichicago.org; Audubon Society https://www.audubon.org
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