Popular Coach Completes Pilgrimage to Honor Wife

Al Schaffer talks like a man who knows a few things about love.

And basketball.

As the retired head coach of the Bulldogs basketball team and informal consultant to the San Diego State University Aztecs, Schaffer has cemented strong friendships and lifelong memories.

There's one deeply special memory that Schaffer honored this summer.

The memory of his wife, "Lil."

"She was a good-looking gal," he said with emotion, as he flicked through his wallet photo album of his Swedish born Lillian at a Bulldogs game this past winter.

Lillian Schaffer died of a rare illness called amyloidosis on May 20, 2010. Amyloidosis causes abnormal proteins to deposit in various organs or systems in the body.

"There's a special place in heaven for coaches' wives," Schaffer said in this North County Times interview in January 2011.

Ironically, he told Patch, Lil's two sisters, Ginny and Arlene, passed away within seven weeks of her death. They were known by their maiden name as "the Charn girls" and were very close. Schaffer and his daughter, Amanda, decided to do a pilgrimage to a cathedral in Spain to honor all of them and their Swedish heritage.

"Lil loved Dala horses," he said. The brightly colored wooden toys date back at least two centuries in Sweden. Amanda, an artist, made 13 small ceramic versions of them to leave along the 500-mile walk called Camino de Santiago de Compostela in Spain. She and her dad began the journey on June 2 and have now completed it.

Camino de Santiago means "the way of St. James" in Spanish. There are several pilgrimage routes to the town of Santiago de Compostela in northwest Spain. They begin in locations throughout Europe and date back to the Middle Ages.

The Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela is considered to be one of the most beautiful examples of Medieval architecture in Europe. It was dedicated in 1211.

To read Amanda's blog and see photos of her journey with her dad, click here to begin, then click on "Newer posts" at the top right of each page.

See the attached video of a service inside the cathedral, sent by Coach Schaffer to Ramona Patch by email.

Ramona High School principal Tony Newman was one of Coach Schaffer's first Bulldog players. The Schaffers came to Ramona from Michigan.

In the previously referenced North County Times article, Newman recalled Schaffer taking him out of a game a few times to teach him athletic manners. It was a lesson he remembered forever afterwards, he said.

This past winter, Newman encouraged this story in Patch. He had this to say on hearing that "Coach Al" had completed his endeavour in Spain.

"All of us that know Coach Al have been inspired by his passion and enthusiasm for life. We all applaud Coach for his accomplishment and are looking forward to hearing about his experiences during his pilgrimage."