SchaferSheilaSheila Schafer, the widow of late North Dakota businessman and Medora Musical founder Harold Schafer, has died. She was 90.

 A memorial service is scheduled this weekend.
  A service is scheduled 10 a.m. Saturday at Lutheran Church of the Cross in Bismarck. Further arrangements are pending with Eastgate Funeral Service.

Sheila, a Bismarck native, married the founder of the successful Gold Seal Co. in 1965. From there, she actively helped realize her husband’s dream of revitalizing the town of Medora into what it is today.

Since her husband’s death in 2001, Schafer has remained an integral part of the Medora community and was known colloquially as the “First Lady of Medora.”
 
 
     Schafer is credited with helping her husband revitalize Medora. Stepson and former North Dakota Gov. Ed Schafer tells The Bismarck Tribune that his stepmother “kind of carried the character of Medora around with her.”
 
     Gov. Jack Dalrymple and members of North Dakota’s congressional delegation issued statements expressing their condolences.
 
Senator John Hoeven extended his condolences  to the family and friends of Sheila Schafer, who spent a lifetime promoting North Dakota, notably the historic western city of Medora.
“Mikey and I extend our sincerest condolences to the family and friends of Sheila Schafer during this difficult time. For years, Sheila worked tirelessly to promote North Dakota, especially the city of Medora. She and her husband, Harold, rebuilt many parts of the historic city, and were instrumental in the creation of the Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation. The love that Sheila had for her family, her state and her community has created a legacy that will live on for years to come, and will be carried on by the countless people that she touched throughout her life.”
 

 U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) today released the following statement on the passing of the Sheila Schafer, the ‘First Lady of Medora’ who helped revitalize the Medora community: 

Senator Heidi Heitkamp said, “With the passing of Sheila Schafer, North Dakota has lost a great friend. For years, Sheila was the lifeblood of Medora – revitalizing the way North Dakotans and the nation understand Medora’s history, and gathering generations of families from near and far to celebrate and preserve its culture. Her energy and charm that drew so many to Medora will live on in the traditions she helped build, and in the community of Medora. My heart goes out to Ed and his family.”