William E. Schaufele

SALISBURY - William E. Schaufele, 84, a retired Foreign Service officer, died Jan. 17, 2008, at Noble Horizons following a long illness. He is survived by his wife, Heather (Moon) Schaufele.

Mr. Schaufele was born in Lakewood, Ohio, on Dec. 7, 1923, to the late Lillian (Berger) and William E. Schaufele.

He entered Yale in 1942 and enlisted in the Army in March 1943. He served in Europe with the 10th Armored Division of Patton’s Third Army, and was at Bastogne, Belgium, during the Battle of the Bulge.

Following the war, he returned to Yale, graduating in 1948, majoring in government and international affairs, and then received an M.A. from the Columbia School of International Affairs.

Mr. Schaufele entered the Foreign Service in September 1950. He first served in Germany and then Morocco, and next opened a consulate in the Congo before returning to Washington, D.C., to the Bureau of African Affairs.

He was named as ambassador to Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso) in 1969, and then as deputy to the permanent representative on the U.N. Security Council.

After a stint as inspector general, he served as assistant secretary of state for African affairs (1976-1978) before being named ambassador to Poland, where he witnessed the election of Pope John Paul II and the buildup of the Solidarity movement.

Mr. Schaufele retired from the Foreign Service in September 1980 with the rank of career minister, and then served as president of the Foreign Policy Association until January 1985. He was also director of the Institute of World Affairs in Taconic.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by two sons, Steven and Peter; and two grandchildren, Alaric and Margaret.

Memorial services will be held Saturday, Feb. 2, at the Salisbury Congregational Church at 2 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to OWL’s Kitchen, PO Box 153, Lakeville, CT 06039; or the Northwest Corner Fuel Bank, PO Box 385, Sharon, CT 06069.

The Newkirk-Palmer funeral home in North Canaan has charge of arrangements.