Beverly Michel Schaffer

Beverly Michel Schaffer, 63, passed away peacefully Tuesday September 18, 2012. A loving wife, exceptional mother, and adoring daughter, Mrs. Schaffer always put her family first, often at the cost of inconveniencing herself. This selflessness translated into a genuinely warm, kind, and compassionate demeanor toward all who had the pleasure of meeting her. Those closest to her were truly blessed by her unconditional love, boundless joy, and unwavering support.A valiant soldier in the battle against breast cancer, Mrs. Schaffer fought with strength, grace, and perseverance for over 11 years. She was initially diagnosed with the often-terminal disease in February 2001, and was determined to beat it, especially since her mother Mildred Abrams passed from the same disease when Mrs. Schaffer was just 18. By 2008, she was overjoyed to become an official cancer survivor; sadly though, the disease came back as metastatic breast cancer later that year. Despite the awful recurrence, Mrs. Schaffer never gave up, and continued to fight up until her death; she left this world a hero to those facing the terrible disease.A Houston native, Mrs. Schaffer was born to a loving family on February 24, 1949. She attended Waltrip High School and graduated from the University of Houston, all while working weekends, summers, and afternoons for the family business. She spent the bulk of her career as Director of HR at TIRR for 27 years, and teacher with HISD for 5 years. She was also a member of Congregation Emanu El for over 35 years.Mrs. Schaffer is survived by husband of 35 years, William Michael Schaffer, daughter Meredith Alicia Schaffer, great aunt Ruby Getz, sister-in-law Sharon Zeisman, brother-in-law Philip Zeisman, nieces Tiffany Halfon and Shoshana Zeisman, nephew Stefan Beckman, as well as other aunts, uncles, cousins, and great nieces and nephews.Services to celebrate her remarkable life will be held on Thursday September 27, 2012 at 2:00pm at Emanu El Memorial Park, 8341 Bissonnet St. A Shiva service for close family and friends will follow thereafter. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to help uninsured women receive breast cancer screenings and treatments at the United Breast Cancer Foundation; alternatively, donations can also be made to support finding a cure for metastatic breast cancer at Metastatic Breast Cancer Network.