- Date Of Birth: June 6, 1943
- Date Of Death: October 6, 2022
- State: Utah
John Michael Schaff (79), unexpectedly returned home to his loving Heavenly Father on October 6, 2022. John was born to John Jerome and Annette Neill in Great Falls, Montana on June 6th, 1943. Growing up in Montana, John spent ample time with his dear brothers and sister [Jay, Ron, Rob and Arlene] and had a close relationship with his Uncle Max. His days were filled with adventure, which regularly included skipping school for fishing and hunting. In his words, he spent most of his youth “on the street” and ultimately left home during his 9th grade school year. He finished high school on his own and then left to make a living in the world.
At the age of 19, John was with his friends in Salt Lake City and was looking for a bit of entertainment. He and his friends stumbled upon an LDS Stake Dance. Not being members of the LDS faith, they ‘snuck’ into the dance where John met Bonnie Thorup. Although his friends left after 15 minutes, he stayed to dance the night away with his future bride.
At the age of 21, John joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints which greatly changed the course of his life. After joining the church, John felt the desire to serve a mission and was subsequently called to serve in Sydney, Australia. Many of the experiences and trials he faced during his 2-year mission built a foundation upon which he would focus a life committed to service and kindness.
After his mission, John reunited with the love of his life, Bonnie Thorup, and they were married for time and all eternity in the Logan Temple on Dec 20,1967. John felt a great love and appreciation for the Thorups who immediately welcomed him in as part of their family. John and Bonnie raised five wonderful sons together in Centerville, Utah [Michael, David, Stephen, Paul & Nathan]. After 31 years of joyful marriage together, Bonnie passed away due to aggressive colon cancer in 1999. Upon Bonnie’s passing, John was adamant that he would never marry again; but learned to never say never as John met the second love of his life, Tamara Schenck [who had also lost her first spouse]. Tamara and John were married in the Salt Lake Temple on March 1, 2003. Tamara had three children [Bart, Andrea & Garret], and thus began their own version of “The Brady Bunch”. Together, with their combined families, they had eight children and 23 grandchildren, who all loved him dearly. Few people are able to find the love of their life, but to find it twice is a rare treasure. They found joy and happiness together throughout their 20 years of marriage.
John graduated from the University of Utah and focused his studies on accounting. After graduation he began working for the Government Accountability Office. A few years later he began working for the State of Utah as a Legislative Auditor. This would become the focus of his entire career to which he dedicated so much of his time and energy. All his hard work and leadership skills made him a highly effective leader. His personality and unparalleled work ethic made it possible for him to work his way up to Legislative Deputy Auditor General and ultimately Legislative Auditor General. After 42 years of service to the State of Utah, John decided to retire to spend more time with family. This was a difficult decision for John as he loved his job. He considered the people he worked with as an extension of his family.
John had a profound knowledge and love for the gospel of Jesus Christ. As a faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints since age 21, he served in many leadership positions such as Bishop, High Councilor and in the Centerville Canyon View Stake Presidency. He loved serving in the church. He was able to help others find happiness, and direction, through our Savior Jesus Christ.
John was a selfless, caring and loving individual. He would regularly stop to help individuals in need. He taught all those around him to be grateful, and to recognize the tremendous blessings they have received.
John was also the life of any party. He had a knack of making a game or competition out of anything, which he would often call “The Schaff Olympics”. Whether it was seeing who can stand on one foot the longest or who can clean up the dishes the fastest [i.e. whirlwind clean-up], there was always a game or time trial involved.
John meant so much to so many. He will be deeply missed by all those who knew and loved him. His family takes comfort in knowing that he has been reunited with loved ones who preceded him in death [namely Bonnie, Rex, Myles, Jordan, John-Jerome, Nettie, Ron, Rob, Arlene and many others]. Until we meet again. We love and we miss you dearly.
