WEST POINT — Sunday at noon, the West Point Rod and Gun Club will host a benefit to honor two community members who both died in November, Linda Van Dyke and Danny Schafer, of COVID-19.

Danny Schafer’s friends and family say he will be remembered as the kind of person who believed in paying it forward by passing kindness on to others. When he died Nov. 20 at Salem Hospital, Nate Penny, secretary at the rod and gun club, said members decided to honor his memory by hosting an event.

Bill Tucker, who knew Schafer since fourth grade, said Schafer and his wife Robin were always the first to help people so it only made sense to do the same in his memory. “If anyone in this community had died or got sick or couldn’t take care of things, Danny and Robin were the first ones to get together and have a benefit,” he said.

Schafer was part owner of J&J Tire and Alignment in Lisbon, named J&J after his parents Joetta and James Schafer, who started it in 1975, retreading tires, Isaac Reynolds said. He grew up with Schafer since the fourth grade. Reynolds said he used to work with Schafer at J&J years ago.

Seth Johnson, Schafer’s son-in-law, is married to his oldest daughter Kim. He said Schafer leaves behind a quiet legacy of little acts of kindness, always helping others.”We still don’t know what all he did, because he never told,” Johnson said. He said since Schafer’s passing, people have been coming forth to share tales of generosity.

As far as the co-honoree of the event Sunday, Van Dyke was a loving grandmother and family matriarch who took care of her three small grandchildren after they lost their mother. Van Dyke died Nov. 30 of COVID-19 complications at her home. A lifelong member of the Lisbon community, Van Dyke worked with Opportunity Homes for more than 25 years.

Penny, after the club decided to host the event, said the group reached out to Schafer’s widow Robin and offered to donate half the proceeds. Penny said she told them to pay it forward like her husband had always believed in doing, and asked that Schafer’s share of the proceeds go toward Van Dyke’s family. “This is in honor of Danny but benefitting Linda,” Penny said, and noted that Schafer would have wanted it that way. Van Dyke and Schafer had been neighbors and had known each other for years.

Members of the club are all contributing out of pocket to the event, chipping in to buy and prepare the food to serve guests. Seth Johnson said that is pretty typical of the community. “Around here it’s just always been that way,” he said. “They just all help each other. It’s a very close knit community.”

Penny said they are not sure how many people they expect, but they are hoping for a good turnout.

Johnson agreed, and said he expects people to pass through all afternoon Sunday and that the event will continue as long as people are coming.

He said his wife Kim likes to remember her dad by a quote of scripture that he lived his life by. “In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak,” he read, “Remembering the words of the Lord Jesus himself – it is more blessed to give than to receive.”

The event Sunday is open to the public.