Dr. Walter “Wally” Scott Schaeffer
SCHAEFFER, HEINS
Posted By: Sarah Fletcher (email)
Date: 1/14/2023 at 15:01:16
Dr. Walter “Wally” Scott Schaeffer passed away at his home on December 17, 2022 after being diagnosed terminally ill with stage 4 throat and neck cancer in April 2022, a common cause of death in his family. He had been the last living member of his family for over a decade at the time of his passing. He considered his patients, colleagues, and friends his family. Services are not being planned per his final wishes.
From Wally:
"These are things I want to personally convey. Brenda can provide details in a more detailed obituary.
I grew up in an environment of fear and pain. I managed to survive my childhood and 3 near-death experiences in my lifetime. My childhood saviors were Grandma Helmers and Aunt Marion & Uncle Ed, who allowed me to seek respite in their homes and taught me I was worthy of love. Somehow, the exact people and moments of inspiration I needed seemed to enter my life at exactly the right times. They are the reason I was able to somehow see a small glimmer of hope through the darkness. My blue skies came when I met Drena and Scott was born. Those were the happiest days of my life. Then, darkness overshadowed my life once again when they were killed by a drunk driver on Christmas Day, 1972. At that moment, I lost hope that I would ever experience light in my life again. I lived that way for many years.
I first became interested in nutrition and biomechanics as a teenager and considered becoming a healthcare professional though it was not the initial path I chose. After 15 years in the publishing industry, I started to explore that possibility once again. I attended a lecture on chiropractic and knew it was my calling. Becoming a chiropractor brought light back into my life—it was my vocation, my passion, and my life-long purpose. I once journaled, “Caring for people, particularly chiropractically, enhances a blissful state—it is a moment of bliss in its most fulfilling context. It is totally satisfying emotionally and psychologically and fulfills most all of those needs on a grand scale. It is the fulfillment of the reason I am here.”
I always said, “I was fortunate enough to receive a chiropractic education that no money could buy”. I became a chiropractor in a time when the chiropractic profession was being challenged—attempts were made to discredit our profession and prohibit us from using the title of Dr. An attorney in Davenport, IA along with a small group of chiropractic advocates traveled the country in a van collecting signatures on legal petitions to preserve our right to practice. Their endeavors, and those of many others, led to the triumph of chiropractors through extensive legal proceedings that determined the fate of our profession. When I became an Activator Methods instructor, I tried to impress on new chiropractors the importance of paying forward the things those before us had made possible.
Whilst still studying to become a chiropractor, I was appointed Dean of Students and Director of Student Affairs under Jerry McAndrews, who brought a fresh perspective and new mission to Palmer. Among my fondest memories of him is traveling through Europe educating and recruiting for Palmer. His influence at the founding institution of chiropractic in the 1980s was an impetus in the development of the body of research that supports the effectiveness of chiropractic today. There wasn’t a research library at Palmer at that time; I still remember the day Jerry cleaned out a janitor’s closet and taped a temporary sign on the door. That evolved into the research institute Palmer has today.
Shortly after going into private practice in 1988, I saw a demonstration done by Dr. Arlan Fuhr (founder of Activator Methods International) that changed my life forever. I went to every Activator Methods seminar in the US over the next 6 months. When I was ready to take my proficiency test, the examiner asked how many yrs. I had been practicing. I told him 8 months. He informed me that I couldn’t take the proficiency test until I had been practicing 1 year. So 4 months later, I went back and received my advanced proficiency status. 8 years later I became an instructor. I cherished my years as an instructor—the camaraderie, the excitement of sharing new ideas, and watching new chiropractors develop a passion for our profession and serving people (not simply patients) as trusted healers.
The Activator Method technique itself always felt so natural to me—the instrument was simply an extension of my hand that healed with intention. It was as if my intuition guided me through tests and adjustments. That feeling was something I could never explain or teach. I believe that was the reason I was able to help patients with complex cases other chiropractics referred to me. Being awarded Emeritus status a few years ago was the height of my accomplishments in Activator.
I spent the majority of my years in private practice in Coralville, IA. My day-to-day patients were the semblance of my life—my true family. I was privileged to go to work every day and help patients who trusted and believed in me. I never turned a patient away due to an inability to pay, the complexity of their condition, or a diagnosis or prognosis given to them by another healthcare professional. If I wasn’t getting the results I expected of myself, I studied cases after work, dug deeper, asked more questions, designed new tests, developed new protocols…whatever it took. My wisest mentors, fellow instructors, and colleagues taught me that chiropractic was so much more than adjustments. It was about trust and respect between a Dr. and their patients and even a spiritual connection between patients and healers. To honor those teachings, I took a moment to reset with a short meditative exercise before adjusting each patient so they would have my complete focus and undivided attention. Every patient I saw received full-body testing and adjusting at every appointment. I spent as much time as I needed with each of my patients and focused on maintaining overall wellness.
I am immensely grateful that chiropractic was a cornerstone of my life. I admire both our founders and innovators like Arlan Fuhr, who took the field of chiropractic to a whole new level. And, there is still so much to learn about the potential and capabilities of the Activator Method. Though I will likely be remembered in the chiropractic profession for my work with TMJDs (temporomandibular joint disorders), I also dedicated a great deal of effort to developing many other life-changing head and neck protocols out of necessity to meet my patients’ needs. I had developed and used the TMJD protocol in my office for several years before anyone expressed interest in formally investigating its efficacy. When the opportunity for a NIH-grant-funded TMJD research project came about, I took a leap of faith and became involved in research which I had never before considered. Although my passion was as a clinician, I knew that this body of work would allow other Activator chiropractors to help a new subset of patients. I had witnessed the tremendous difference it had made in my patients’ lives. I am honored to have contributed to the chiropractic profession as a whole through my work with TMJDs. I was also able to not only successfully treat, but advocate for automobile accident victims by completing certification through the Spine Research Institute of San Diego. I gained experience as a chiropractic examiner and review Doctor for insurance companies and attorneys including deposition and trial presentations. A local attorney and I worked together for decades to help accident victims with great success. This endeavor was ultimately a tribute to my wife and son who were killed in an automobile accident.
Among my most constant companions throughout my life were my dogs and horses. I shared a deep connection with each one of them. To ensure their optimal health and well-being, I developed Activator Methods protocols for horses and many types of pets that ended up being equally as effective as they are for humans. It is my hope that another innovative Activator chiropractor, who is passionate about improving the quality of life of our non-human companions who so greatly enrich our lives, will future pursue the promising work I started with animals.
And a special message to Brenda…You are the “core”, a “N of 1”, the epitome of motherhood to Colm whose young life you allowed me to be a part of. A childhood I never had was resurrected through his eyes. I trust you implicitly and I am confident that you advocated for me to my very last breath. Remember me through Maggie’s, Rent, The Polar Express in St. Louis, my reaction the first time I heard Colm Wilkinson sing “Bring Him Home”…and always Believe.
Some of my favorite quotes and sentiments:
We tend to go in the direction we look. Rob Serling
Be the change you want to see in the world. Mahatma Ghandi
Practice random acts of kindness. Jack Canfield
What’s wrong is beside the point—what’s right is the starting point. Bill Bahan
Above-Down-Inside-Out (ADIO). B.J. Palmer
The power of saying yes opens up a world of possibilities and unites me with my purpose.
There are no two people who meet that do not require some healing between them.
Present time consciousness and meditation
E + R = O (Event + Response = Outcome)"
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Dr. Walter “Wally” Scott Schaeffer was born to Jeanne A. and Walter Schaeffer on January 31, 1946 in Miami Shores, FL. He was a survivor in many ways—having miraculously survived a childhood of horrific abuse and 3 near-death experiences in his lifetime. He met his wife, Drena (Heins) Schaeffer and their son, Scott, was born in 1964. They were the happiest days of Wally’s life. Sadly, 8 years later, they were both killed by a drunk driver on Christmas Day, 1972.
After becoming the first person in his family to graduate high school, Wally earned his undergraduate degree in Anthropology/Archaeology from Florida State University in 1967 and had a successful and adventuresome career in the publishing industry doing author tours and promotions. He traveled with some of the most prolific writers of the 1970s and 80s. But, it was not a career that filled his soul. After the death of his wife and son, he went through a long period of reflection and decided to pursue his long-held passion for becoming some type of healthcare provider. After attending a few lectures on chiropractic and nutrition, he knew it was his calling. He moved to Iowa and received his Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Palmer College of Chiropractic in 1986. He served as class president for 2 years and was appointed Dean of Students and Director of Student Affairs years before he even graduated.
He went into private practice in 1988 and began his career as an upper cervical specialist. Soon after, he was introduced to Activator Methods by Dr. Arlan Fuhr and the trajectory of his career was forever changed. He moved to the Iowa City/Coralville area in the mid 1990s where he lived and practiced the majority of his life. He was an Advanced Proficiency rated Activator Methods head/neck/jaw specialist for 34 years and an Activator instructor for over 20 years. He received NIH funding to research the efficacy of the TMJD protocol he developed for the Activator chiropractic profession with great success. A 2nd edition of the official Activator Methods textbook was published to add the chapter on TMJ disorders that Wally co-authored. His work in this area allowed patients to eat and speak clearly again, musicians to play their instruments and sing again, and saved thousands of people from chronic pain and suicide. His work in this area lives on as other Activator chiropractors continue to use this protocol to transform the lives of their patients internationally. Through skill and intuition, he developed many more life-changing head and neck protocols that were never documented.
Inspired by his first career in the publishing industry, he was extremely well-read, well-traveled, and an excellent writer. I found nearly 100 journals in his possession at the end of his life. His daily journaling spanned his entire life and focused on self-reflection, inspirational quotes, personal and professional goals as well as things he had learned from others…many times patients. His most cherished journal was the one he dedicated solely to his first year of private practice. Every day included a new revelation relating to becoming a better chiropractor, providing better patient care, and learning from patients. The entry inside the journal’s cover reads:
“Context is essential for meaning and it is known in very specific ways. What we have called the principle of focalization is a description of patterns of context. Is my living included within the context of others, within specific patterns of focalization as expressed by others? If not, there will be a sense of meaninglessness and loneliness in what I do. Similarly, do I provide a context for the living of others, including them in the vision which I know and providing a strong, clear tone for orientation? If not, my value will be limited and my experience will lack dimension. I commit myself to establishing patient relationships based on mutual respect and trust, integrity, and global responsibility.”
Wally truly appreciated great art, music, food, and wine. Wally played the majority of American sports at some point in his life including semi-professional football and competitive tennis. He was also an avid runner and practiced many forms of meditation. At age 55, he decided to pursue a new sporting venture—learning the hunter/jumper discipline. Growing up in Miami, he had never been near a horse before then. However, like in many things he was motivated to excel in, he became a championship competitor. He felt a deep soulful connection with his horses and his dogs. In his quest to provide superb care for his animals, he also developed Activator protocols for horses and pets.
He cared for his community just as he did his patients. He served on the Coralville and Iowa City Chambers of Commerce, lectured at the College of Medicine at the University of Iowa, was an alternative health columnist for the Press Citizen for several years, and the staff chiropractor for the Free Medical Clinic, just to name a few. His non-profit organization, The Whole Health Institute, embodied the novel concept of a support group for wellness. He was passionate about helping others learn that true health was not simply the absence of disease. He believed that if more people understood what it meant to truly be well, their quality of life could be dramatically improved.
Wally took exceptional care of himself and enjoyed excellent health. He held a belief that genetics were not destiny but knew he would need to work diligently to live beyond the relatively short lifespan of his family members. His efforts allowed him to live far more years than he ever expected. That meant more years of giving to others and fulfilling his purpose—to be a healer to every person who walked through his office door…many in need of what most people would consider miracles. Wally helped many patients turn those miracles into their personal realities.
Wally will be remembered for the personal connection and trust he secured with every patient he encountered. His smile and laugh were genuine and his intentions were full of goodness and love. His admitted quirkiness, partnered with skill and intuition, were an important part of what made him an innovator who demonstrated the power and effectiveness of Activator Methods. The outpouring of support, love, tributes, and testimonies from patients, colleagues, and friends are overwhelming. He was truly beloved, highly respected, and will always be regarded as a legend and icon of the Activator Methods chiropractic profession worldwide.
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