Danna Wilner Schaeffer
Dec. 26, 1943 - Nov. 6, 2022
Adieu, Danna
On Nov. 6, 2022 Olivia Danna Wilner Schaeffer died unexpectedly in Portland, Ore., of complications related to an aortic valve replacement. She was 78 years old. She is survived by her husband of 59 years, Benson Schaeffer; and her three brothers, David Wilner, Justin Wilner, and Adam Wilner, all of California. She was preceded in death by her effervescent and magnetic daughter, actress Rebecca Schaeffer.
Danna (she preferred to be called by her middle name) Wilner was born in Atlanta in 1943, and grew up in Los Angeles, Baltimore, and New York City. She married Benson in 1963, and gave birth to their daughter, Rebecca, in 1967. Danna received an MA and MFA from the University of Oregon in Eugene. In 1980, the family moved to Portland, where Danna taught English and creative writing at Portland area colleges and universities. She regularly published short stories, poems, articles, and reviews.
When Rebecca left home at 16 for New York to become an actress, Danna's interest turned to the theater and she began writing plays. City Women, an evening of one-acts set in world capitals, premiered in 1988.
Danna could not have been prouder of her daughter, a young woman of uncommon grace and wisdom. One of the highlights of Danna's life was visiting Rebecca on the set of a movie she was filming in Rome and Venice. It was the last time she would see her daughter.
Everything changed on July 18, 1989, when Rebecca was shot on her doorstep in Los Angeles by an obsessed fan.
Rebecca's murder divided her life into Before and After. Danna managed to survive her daughter's murder, and by some accounts even thrive. Danna was the rarest of human beings, one who could face and absorb anguish head-on while at the same time remaining open to the world and its wonders. She welcomed new experiences and hard work. Danna spent two years lobbying for gun control. In 1989 she co-founded Oregonians Against Gun Violence with Nan Whittaker, and in 1991 she went to Washington, D.C. to work in support of the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act (known as the Brady Bill), which was signed into law in late 1991 by President Clinton.
In 2003, Danna decided to go back to school and earn another MA, this one in Counseling Psychology from Lewis & Clark College, after which she spent a happy decade in private practice in downtown Portland.
In 2013 she closed her counseling practice to focus on her writing, and performance. Danna's greatest professional achievement was the creation of her one-woman show You in Midair, in which wrote about Rebecca's story with light, joy, love, and humor. It debuted at the Portland Fertile Ground Festival in 2017, and enjoyed a successful run at the Hollywood Fringe Festival in 2018.
Danna was obviously a brilliant, active woman driven to pursue her curiosity, but that was only one side of her. She was deeply interested in others, and as she came to know them, she was always present, cognitively, emotionally, and empathetically. Danna was, what some would say, a 'menschen kenner,' a people knower. Danna saw deeply into people, the good and the bad, and emphasized the good.
Her adult niece, Davina, recalls how Auntie Danna often told the story of meeting her when she was 10 days old, exclaiming over how magnificent she was, already holding up her head, and looking around at the world. She wrote in an email, speaking for everyone who knew Danna, "It felt so good to be loved by her."∼~~~The Oregonian newspaper
Portland, Oregon
Sunday, January 29, 2023
Dec. 26, 1943 - Nov. 6, 2022
Adieu, Danna
On Nov. 6, 2022 Olivia Danna Wilner Schaeffer died unexpectedly in Portland, Ore., of complications related to an aortic valve replacement. She was 78 years old. She is survived by her husband of 59 years, Benson Schaeffer; and her three brothers, David Wilner, Justin Wilner, and Adam Wilner, all of California. She was preceded in death by her effervescent and magnetic daughter, actress Rebecca Schaeffer.
Danna (she preferred to be called by her middle name) Wilner was born in Atlanta in 1943, and grew up in Los Angeles, Baltimore, and New York City. She married Benson in 1963, and gave birth to their daughter, Rebecca, in 1967. Danna received an MA and MFA from the University of Oregon in Eugene. In 1980, the family moved to Portland, where Danna taught English and creative writing at Portland area colleges and universities. She regularly published short stories, poems, articles, and reviews.
When Rebecca left home at 16 for New York to become an actress, Danna's interest turned to the theater and she began writing plays. City Women, an evening of one-acts set in world capitals, premiered in 1988.
Danna could not have been prouder of her daughter, a young woman of uncommon grace and wisdom. One of the highlights of Danna's life was visiting Rebecca on the set of a movie she was filming in Rome and Venice. It was the last time she would see her daughter.
Everything changed on July 18, 1989, when Rebecca was shot on her doorstep in Los Angeles by an obsessed fan.
Rebecca's murder divided her life into Before and After. Danna managed to survive her daughter's murder, and by some accounts even thrive. Danna was the rarest of human beings, one who could face and absorb anguish head-on while at the same time remaining open to the world and its wonders. She welcomed new experiences and hard work. Danna spent two years lobbying for gun control. In 1989 she co-founded Oregonians Against Gun Violence with Nan Whittaker, and in 1991 she went to Washington, D.C. to work in support of the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act (known as the Brady Bill), which was signed into law in late 1991 by President Clinton.
In 2003, Danna decided to go back to school and earn another MA, this one in Counseling Psychology from Lewis & Clark College, after which she spent a happy decade in private practice in downtown Portland.
In 2013 she closed her counseling practice to focus on her writing, and performance. Danna's greatest professional achievement was the creation of her one-woman show You in Midair, in which wrote about Rebecca's story with light, joy, love, and humor. It debuted at the Portland Fertile Ground Festival in 2017, and enjoyed a successful run at the Hollywood Fringe Festival in 2018.
Danna was obviously a brilliant, active woman driven to pursue her curiosity, but that was only one side of her. She was deeply interested in others, and as she came to know them, she was always present, cognitively, emotionally, and empathetically. Danna was, what some would say, a 'menschen kenner,' a people knower. Danna saw deeply into people, the good and the bad, and emphasized the good.
Her adult niece, Davina, recalls how Auntie Danna often told the story of meeting her when she was 10 days old, exclaiming over how magnificent she was, already holding up her head, and looking around at the world. She wrote in an email, speaking for everyone who knew Danna, "It felt so good to be loved by her."∼~~~The Oregonian newspaper
Portland, Oregon
Sunday, January 29, 2023
Danna Wilner Schaeffer
Dec. 26, 1943 - Nov. 6, 2022
Adieu, Danna
On Nov. 6, 2022 Olivia Danna Wilner Schaeffer died unexpectedly in Portland, Ore., of complications related to an aortic valve replacement. She was 78 years old. She is survived by her husband of 59 years, Benson Schaeffer; and her three brothers, David Wilner, Justin Wilner, and Adam Wilner, all of California. She was preceded in death by her effervescent and magnetic daughter, actress Rebecca Schaeffer.
Danna (she preferred to be called by her middle name) Wilner was born in Atlanta in 1943, and grew up in Los Angeles, Baltimore, and New York City. She married Benson in 1963, and gave birth to their daughter, Rebecca, in 1967. Danna received an MA and MFA from the University of Oregon in Eugene. In 1980, the family moved to Portland, where Danna taught English and creative writing at Portland area colleges and universities. She regularly published short stories, poems, articles, and reviews.
When Rebecca left home at 16 for New York to become an actress, Danna's interest turned to the theater and she began writing plays. City Women, an evening of one-acts set in world capitals, premiered in 1988.
Danna could not have been prouder of her daughter, a young woman of uncommon grace and wisdom. One of the highlights of Danna's life was visiting Rebecca on the set of a movie she was filming in Rome and Venice. It was the last time she would see her daughter.
Everything changed on July 18, 1989, when Rebecca was shot on her doorstep in Los Angeles by an obsessed fan.
Rebecca's murder divided her life into Before and After. Danna managed to survive her daughter's murder, and by some accounts even thrive. Danna was the rarest of human beings, one who could face and absorb anguish head-on while at the same time remaining open to the world and its wonders. She welcomed new experiences and hard work. Danna spent two years lobbying for gun control. In 1989 she co-founded Oregonians Against Gun Violence with Nan Whittaker, and in 1991 she went to Washington, D.C. to work in support of the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act (known as the Brady Bill), which was signed into law in late 1991 by President Clinton.
In 2003, Danna decided to go back to school and earn another MA, this one in Counseling Psychology from Lewis & Clark College, after which she spent a happy decade in private practice in downtown Portland.
In 2013 she closed her counseling practice to focus on her writing, and performance. Danna's greatest professional achievement was the creation of her one-woman show You in Midair, in which wrote about Rebecca's story with light, joy, love, and humor. It debuted at the Portland Fertile Ground Festival in 2017, and enjoyed a successful run at the Hollywood Fringe Festival in 2018.
Danna was obviously a brilliant, active woman driven to pursue her curiosity, but that was only one side of her. She was deeply interested in others, and as she came to know them, she was always present, cognitively, emotionally, and empathetically. Danna was, what some would say, a 'menschen kenner,' a people knower. Danna saw deeply into people, the good and the bad, and emphasized the good.
Her adult niece, Davina, recalls how Auntie Danna often told the story of meeting her when she was 10 days old, exclaiming over how magnificent she was, already holding up her head, and looking around at the world. She wrote in an email, speaking for everyone who knew Danna, "It felt so good to be loved by her."∼~~~The Oregonian newspaper
Portland, Oregon
Sunday, January 29, 2023
Dec. 26, 1943 - Nov. 6, 2022
Adieu, Danna
On Nov. 6, 2022 Olivia Danna Wilner Schaeffer died unexpectedly in Portland, Ore., of complications related to an aortic valve replacement. She was 78 years old. She is survived by her husband of 59 years, Benson Schaeffer; and her three brothers, David Wilner, Justin Wilner, and Adam Wilner, all of California. She was preceded in death by her effervescent and magnetic daughter, actress Rebecca Schaeffer.
Danna (she preferred to be called by her middle name) Wilner was born in Atlanta in 1943, and grew up in Los Angeles, Baltimore, and New York City. She married Benson in 1963, and gave birth to their daughter, Rebecca, in 1967. Danna received an MA and MFA from the University of Oregon in Eugene. In 1980, the family moved to Portland, where Danna taught English and creative writing at Portland area colleges and universities. She regularly published short stories, poems, articles, and reviews.
When Rebecca left home at 16 for New York to become an actress, Danna's interest turned to the theater and she began writing plays. City Women, an evening of one-acts set in world capitals, premiered in 1988.
Danna could not have been prouder of her daughter, a young woman of uncommon grace and wisdom. One of the highlights of Danna's life was visiting Rebecca on the set of a movie she was filming in Rome and Venice. It was the last time she would see her daughter.
Everything changed on July 18, 1989, when Rebecca was shot on her doorstep in Los Angeles by an obsessed fan.
Rebecca's murder divided her life into Before and After. Danna managed to survive her daughter's murder, and by some accounts even thrive. Danna was the rarest of human beings, one who could face and absorb anguish head-on while at the same time remaining open to the world and its wonders. She welcomed new experiences and hard work. Danna spent two years lobbying for gun control. In 1989 she co-founded Oregonians Against Gun Violence with Nan Whittaker, and in 1991 she went to Washington, D.C. to work in support of the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act (known as the Brady Bill), which was signed into law in late 1991 by President Clinton.
In 2003, Danna decided to go back to school and earn another MA, this one in Counseling Psychology from Lewis & Clark College, after which she spent a happy decade in private practice in downtown Portland.
In 2013 she closed her counseling practice to focus on her writing, and performance. Danna's greatest professional achievement was the creation of her one-woman show You in Midair, in which wrote about Rebecca's story with light, joy, love, and humor. It debuted at the Portland Fertile Ground Festival in 2017, and enjoyed a successful run at the Hollywood Fringe Festival in 2018.
Danna was obviously a brilliant, active woman driven to pursue her curiosity, but that was only one side of her. She was deeply interested in others, and as she came to know them, she was always present, cognitively, emotionally, and empathetically. Danna was, what some would say, a 'menschen kenner,' a people knower. Danna saw deeply into people, the good and the bad, and emphasized the good.
Her adult niece, Davina, recalls how Auntie Danna often told the story of meeting her when she was 10 days old, exclaiming over how magnificent she was, already holding up her head, and looking around at the world. She wrote in an email, speaking for everyone who knew Danna, "It felt so good to be loved by her."∼~~~The Oregonian newspaper
Portland, Oregon
Sunday, January 29, 2023
Inscription
Only a temporary grave marker is in place. Assuming the unveiling will be in November '23.
Family Members
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Advertisement
