Former 47th District Court Judge Margaret Schaeffer Dies at 92

Former 47th District Court Judge Margaret Schaeffer, 92, died April 11 at her Farmington Hills home. 

A memorial service will be held April 16, 3 p.m., at First Presbyterian Church of Farmington in Farmington Hills.

Born in Detroit on Nov. 21, 1920, Judge Schaeffer received her undergraduate and Juris Doctor degrees from University of Michigan and was one of only two women graduates in her law class. After serving as a judicial law clerk for judges in Michigan and California, she joined her sister, Cornelia G. Kennedy, in practicing law with their father, Elmer Groefsema, a prominent Detroit attorney.

Following their father’s death, the sisters continued to practice law together with the Detroit firm, Markle and Markle. Judge Schaeffer was appointed to the Workers’ Compensation Appeal Board for the State of Michigan in 1971. In 1974, she was elected to the 47th District Court bench, serving Farmington and Farmington Hills. She retired in 1992. 

Judge Schaeffer and her sister, retired U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit Cornelia G. Kennedy, were the first sisters to serve as judges in the U.S. In 2012, they were profiled in the University of Michigan Law School's Law Quadrangle magazine. 

In addition to her legal career, Judge Schaeffer was very active in the community, serving on Farmington Hills City Council, the Farmington Township Board of Trustees, the Farmington Hills Beautification Commission, and the Farmington Community Center Board of Directors. She was a long-time member of the American Association of University Women and of First Presbyterian Church of Farmington. 

An avid traveler with her husband, Marvin, before his death in 2006, Judge Schaeffer visited the Netherlands in 2007 and, in celebration of her 90th birthday, took a small-boat cruise to Alaska with her family. 

She is survived by her children Christine Skoglund (Dr. Paul) of Waterford, Paul Schaeffer of Waterford, the Hon. William E. Schaeffer of Battle Mountain, NV, and Virginia Schaeffer (Mitch Abrams) of Portland, OR; her two granddaughters, Madeline and Elise Abrams, also of Portland; her sisters, the Hon. Cornelia G. Kennedy, Judge (ret.), U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit, of Grosse Pointe, and Dr. Christine Gram of Farmington Hills; and many nieces and nephews from Michigan, Florida, Colorado, Texas, and Washington.

McCabe Funeral Home is handling arrangements, and more information is available at mccabefuneralhome.com.

Source: McCabe Funeral Home obituary

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