A Celebration of Life service for You’Vah Schafer, 92, West Plains, Missouri, will be held at 2:00 p.m., Saturday, December 13, 2025, in the Rose Chapel of Robertson-Drago Funeral Home.
Mrs. Schafer passed away peacefully at 11:50 p.m., Monday, October 27, 2025 in West Plains, Missouri.
She dearly loved her family and spreading the word of her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. She was a youth bible study teacher for over 20 years at West 160 Church of Christ. You’Vah was most at home and always a “friend in the kitchen”. Whether you’ve eaten at a table in her home, in one of her restaurants, or simply enjoyed one of the recipes she passed on through her cookbooks and cooking column (one of the longest running columns in The West Plains Daily Quill), you’ve likely felt the love she passed on through her food. She was also an avid gardener; her house on Harlin Drive was always crowned with one of the most beautiful flower gardens in West Plains. Others may remember her through her involvement with the family’s Ford Tractor Dealership or Trucking Line, but wherever you knew her, you knew she was a force and someone who demanded to be known. You’Vah was born in Leota, Missouri on January 12, 1933 to Jesse “Big Jess” Vaughan and Addie Strickland Vaughan. She was born the youngest of three with older sister Hazel Vaughan Guffey and brother Cletus Vaughan. She went to school and graduated from Bakersfield High School and later Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri. She married Boyd Schafer May 15, 1951 and they would have three children: Kitty, Sally and Randall. They would host several foster children over the years. Four of the girls (Kathy, Wanda, Barb and Margie) would be active parts of her family for the rest of her life. She taught at Cage one room schoolhouse near Jadwin, Missouri when she was barely older than some of the students she taught. She was very proud that some of her students had remained in regular contact with her throughout her life. She especially loved visits from her nephew, Junior Guffey and his wife Pam who brought her a great deal of comfort especially in her later years.
She is preceded in death by her husband Boyd Schafer, her father Jesse “Big Jess” Vaughan, her mother Addie Strickland Vaughan, her sister Hazel Vaughan Guffey (Buck), her great-grandson Kayden, and her beloved brother Cletus Vaughan (Reba).
She is survived by her three children and their spouses, Kitty Schafer Burk (Jackie), Sally Schafer Beltz (Bruce), and Randall Schafer; ten grandchildren, Kitty’s – Heather York Swearengin (Brian), Brittany Bain (Shawn) and Amanda Williams (Jeremy), Sally’s – Jeremy Whittingham (Heather) and Matt Whittingham (Ashley), Randall’s – Jackie Ingalsbe (Shawn), Melody Schafer, Clayton Schafer, Jacob Montgomery, Taylor Reavis (Tyler), Randi Schafer; and twenty-four great-grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers the family requests memorial contributions may be to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, and may be left at or mailed to Robertson-Drago Funeral Home, 211 W. Main St., West Plains, Missouri. You’Vah had been an avid supporter of this organization for several decades and continued to donate monthly until her passing.
