Robert John Schaffner

Yorktown, Va. – Robert John Schaffner, 79, peacefully passed away while his wife, Christine, was at his bedside, holding his hand, on Monday, June 15, 2026. Robert was a native of Kingston, New York.
Robert served in the U.S. Army from 1968-1974.
He earned a Master of Engineering Management from George Washington University in 1998. In 1972, he graduated from Western New England College, Springfield, Massachusetts, with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering. Upon graduating from college, Robert began a 43 year career with Huntington-Ingalls Industries – Newport News Shipbuilding, working on many projects during his career, with increasing areas of responsibility in Submarine and Carrier Nuclear Engineering. At 40 years of service, he was recognized as Master Shipbuilder. His favorite job was holding the responsibility of Chief Test Nuclear Engineer working on the Complex Overhaul and Refueling of the CVN65 Enterprise project. He was very proud to be one of the first Engineering Managers to have worked on the initial design of the new Ford Class Carrier later during his career. Robert retired in 2015. Robert was very active with the Nautilus Society of Reactor Test Engineers for most of his career.
Robert and Christine vacationed for many years at the Outer Banks, N.C., enjoying the ocean and hanging out at Fish Head’s while spending time at their beach house. Long weekend trips to NYC to watch the NY Yankees play baseball in Yankee Stadium was always a good time. Their trip to Italy in 2007 gave them beautiful memories for a lifetime. Cruises were always fun, and Robert’s favorite cruise was their Alaska Cruise during the Spring of 2010. While enjoying trips to Florida, many trips to Key West were the best. Robert especially enjoyed spending time at home relaxing at their swimming pool during summers and early Sunday morning long bike rides through the Yorktown Battlefields and Yorktown with Christine running alongside him during her marathon training long runs.
Robert was preceded in death by his parents Elizabeth Beatrice Frederick Schaffner and William John Schaffner and is survived by his wife Christine Jankowski Schaffner, two daughters, and two granddaughters.
A funeral mass will be held on Wednesday, July 1, 2026 at 11:00am at St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church, with visitation one hour prior to the service at 10:00am. Burial is to be in St. Mary of the Snow Cemetery in Saugerties, New York. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the charity of your choice.
A special thank you to the entire care team and staff who took care of Robert while at Riverside Regional Medical Center, Newport News, Va. Arrangement by Amory Funeral Home, Grafton, Va.