Charlene Joy (Long/Schaefer) Rider

Charlene Joy Rider (Long/Schaefer) left this life to be with her Heavenly Father on June 23, 2026 at the age of 96.

She was born in Rising Star, Texas on September 28, 1929 to Raleigh Cullen Long and Lorene Blanche Long (Shook). Charlene Graduated from Rising Star High School. On May 16, 1947, at the age of 18 she married Don Schaefer. She married Henry Floyd Rider on December 19, 1989. She was a homemaker and raised three boys, Danny Ray Schaefer, Jimmy Craig Schaefer and Richard Paul Schaefer. Charlene lived most of her life farming and ranching with her husband Don south of Cisco, Texas in the Romney community. Don and Charlene were once honored as the Eastland County Ranch Family of the Year.  She also spent several years in the west Texas oil fields with Don and her boys. After raising her boys, she moved to Pakistan with Don while he worked for the Parker drilling company in the middle east. Pakistan was a secular country at the time and she enjoyed playing tennis and painting while there.

Charlene was a talented and artistic painter and enjoyed creating oil-based paintings on canvas. She also loved basketball and played in high school in Rising Star, Texas. Charlene was a member of the Saturday club in Rising Star and loved to play dominoes and other games as well as quilting, gardening and spending time with family. Most importantly Charlene loved her family and was saved and baptized and knew Jesus as her Lord and savior and was a member of the Union Center Baptist Church south of Cisco.

She was preceded in death by her husband Don Schaefer and husband Henry Floyd Rider. She was also preceded in death by her son Danny Schaefer, her son Jimmy Craig Schaefer as well as her parents Raleigh Cullen Long, Lorene Blanch Long (Shook), brother Max Long, Sister Dorthey Whiteside (Long), grandson Jeremy Schaefer and grandson Craig Easton Schaefer.

She is survived by her brothers Raleigh Don Long, Rex Long and Tony Long, daughter in law Elaine Schaefer, grandsons Sean Schaefer, Matt Schaefer, Chance Schaefer, David Schaefer, T.J. Ewing (Schaefer) and Ricky Dale Ewing (Schaefer) as well as many great grandchildren, great-great grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.

The family would like to thank Callie Reed and the staff of Alpha Omega hospice care and all her care givers and staff of the Cisco Nursing Center where she recently resided until her passing. The family would especially like to thank Charlene’s daughter in law (Danny) Elaine Schaefer for the tireless care and companionship she gave to Charlene.

Memorials in honor of Charlene should be made to the charity of your choice.

A Graveside Service will be held Saturday, June 27, 2026 at Rising Star Cemetery at 10:00 AM with Sean Schaefer officiating. 

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