Hello Friends & Family,

It has been two weeks since Derek’s Celebration of Life, and our hearts remain so full and comforted by the time spent with those who were able to attend and share stories of how Derek impacted their lives. It was such a blessing to see familiar faces, many of which we had not seen in many years, and make new connections as we met many of Derek’s close friends and co-workers for the first time in person.

The celebration would not have been the same without the beautiful and touching service provided by Pastor Katie Lindberg. We wanted to offer our sincerest appreciation and thanks for her guidance and time spent preparing a heartfelt service that truly embodied Derek’s spirit and values.

We’ll be sharing pictures of the Celebration of Life to this Everloved page, so those who were unable to attend can experience the tribute to Derek’s life, and we encourage any attendees who also took pictures of the event to share them here as well. We would love to see them. Also, for those interested, the Spotify playlist that was playing throughout the afternoon with some of Derek’s favorite songs can be accessed and followed at this link: https://open.spotify.com/play…

Despite the Celebration of Life being behind us, that does not mean that we’ll stop sharing memories and stories of Derek, and we encourage you all to do the same, whether on this page or to each other as our lives find new ways to move forward. We’ll carry Derek in our hearts and look to bring his presence into our lives always.

With love and best wishes to you all,

The Schaefer Family

I’ll never forget jamming with you in your attic, and my basement, man. You were a human metronome; a human drum machine, with a beat built into your consciousness. 

I’ll always remember the way you played - hands moving faster than my eyes could follow, and anyone would imagine a look of chaos on your face… but not you, brother, I’ve never seen such a fast and relaxed drummer - I don’t even think you moved your head… at all.

I’m really going to miss you, buddy. I know we grew apart as we got older; it’s the way of things sometimes. I really want to jam with you man, one more time.  

Hail, Derek. I’ll see you in Valhalla, brother, may the Valykries take you soft and swift to the feasting halls.

Feasting and Fighting together, Brother. Across the rainbow bridge. We’ll meet again.

Artist. Brother. Friend. Son. Man. Musician. Genius.

I’ll remember you forever

Jenise, Dave and Libby,  Remembering fondly when Sarah and Derek played together when they were little and then watching Derek grow into a great young man.  Tom and I send you love and caring thoughts on this sad sad occasion

Tom and Mary Breitzke