Frank Schaffer, 93, of Palos Verdes Estates, died Thursday, April 16, 2020. He was the founder of Frank Schaffer Publications and before that, he was an elementary school teacher and remedial reading specialist in the Palos Verdes public schools for over twenty years. He was a generous benefactor of education, the performing arts, children’s hospice care and numerous other charitable causes. He was a good friend, a loving father, and a caring grandfather and great-grandfather. Marilyn, the love of his life, his wife of 73 years, was at his bedside holding his hand when Frank slipped peacefully away.
Frank was born on May 7, 1926 in New York City to Elsie (Hecht) and Louis Schaffer. He graduated in 1943 from Seward Park High School on the Lower East Side at age 17. He
entered City College of New York knowing his studies would soon be cut short: on turning 18, he was called up for service by the US Army. In World War II he served in Europe. As a private he was the radioman for his infantry unit; next he was promoted to corporal and transferred to counterintelligence. He was in Paris on VE Day, where he was mobbed by a celebratory crowd on the Champs-Élysées and hoisted high on joyous French shoulders. Frank was always proud to have served the country he loved. Frank met Marilyn at a dance at the 92 nd St. Y a few months before he left for basic training. They were married on December 29, 1946. Thanks to the GI Bill, Frank graduated from New York University in 1950 with a BS in education followed by an MS in 1952 with a focus on special education. Moving to California, he taught special education in Ramona and in Porterville. In 1956 he found a position with the Palos Verdes Unified School District where he spent the remainder of his teaching career as a specialist in remedial reading, primarily at Lunada
Bay Elementary School. He was an exceptional teacher, gifted with an uncanny ability to find what worked best for each struggling reader. He always believed the key to success was making learning fun for them.
Frank and Marilyn moved to Palos Verdes in 1961. They had five sons. To supplement his income, Frank tutored children after school and worked part time for Pepperdine University, teaching graduate courses on the fundamentals of working with children who had fallen behind in reading skills. In 1972, looking for another source of income, Frank had an idea: why not write a book filled with “fun and games with reading?” Working weekends and late nights at the kitchen table, he cobbled together ninety-six pages and had a thousand copies printed. In January 1973, after months of failing to persuade countless school supply retailers to stock his book, he had grown tired of the unsold product cluttering up the living room, so he asked Marilyn to take them to a special ed. conference and rent a booth to see if they would sell. She sold 150 of them in the first hour. They decided to go into business for themselves and mailed out flyers to Southern California schools.
The rise of Frank Schaffer Publications deserves its own full story. Frank and Marilyn
ran the business from the house for two years before Frank left his teaching career behind and moved the company to a small office. At the time, in 1975, he was publishing about two dozen different titles. By 1990 the company had over 950 books and other products that could be found in nearly every pre-school and elementary school in the US, Canada and beyond. Everything Frank published reflected his years of teaching experience and for that reason teachers bought his books and came to trust his name. Frank was an innovative and competitive businessman, but he remained unfazed by his phenomenal success. He was sincere, sympathetic and funny. In the office, at home and wherever he went, he could often be heard humming, whistling and singing to himself, just as he’d always done, still replacing forgotten lyrics with odd scatting syllables.
In 1996 Frank and Marilyn sold their company. Frank was 70 and ready to enjoy an
active retirement. He maintained his passions for photography and music. He and Marilyn
became world travelers. They were avid theatergoers and became active supporters of the Palos Verdes Performing Arts Center’s Norris Theater. On its behalf, for many years Frank
collaborated with a dear friend in organizing an annual series of jazz concerts.
Frank cherished his family and was proud of his five sons. Among his many friendships
were some that endured for over 50 years. He succeeded far beyond what he ever imagined as a city boy raised during the Depression, and in return he did his best to give back more than he received. Nevertheless, his life was also marked by great sorrow. His mother died when he was a teenager. He was predeceased by the untimely deaths of his beloved brother Alan Schaffer and Marilyn’s dear brother Marvin Glazer. Worse, he suffered to outlive three of his children who died tragically, unspeakably young: Doug, 6 years old; Ken, 6 months; and Carol, 7. He is survived by Marilyn; his sons Ira (and his wife Denise), Michael (Rina), Larry, Gary (Valérie), and Neal (Miwako); his grandchildren Jim (Whitney), Joshua (Julie), Davis, Sylvana, Cade, Léa, Jaxon, Eliott, Luna, Marlene, Kyle and Samuel; and his great-granddaughter Layla. A memorial service for Frank will be held at a future date. Due to the present crisis, the burial service was restricted to family members watching it live-streamed from graveside by Rabbi Brian Schuldenfrei of Congregation Ner Tamid of South Bay, to whom the Schaffers express their deepest gratitude. Memorial contributions may be made to the Children’s Hospice at Provident Trinity KidsCare Foundation, 5315 Torrance Blvd., Suite B1, Torrance, CA 90503.