Charles Brooks Shafer

1941 - 2022

SHAFER, Charles Brooks March 23, 1941 - February 25, 2022 Brooks Shafer, beloved husband, father, and grandfather, died peacefully after a valiant struggle with Parkinson's and cancer. He was surrounded by family. Brooks was born in Stillwater, Oklahoma, to Charles E. and Lucile McNeely Shafer. After brief stays in Old Hickory, Tennessee; Ilion, New York; and Oak Ridge, Tennessee, the family spent seven years in Richland, Washington, where his father died. The family then moved to Miami, Oklahoma, where he graduated from high school in 1959; Brooks received a degree in electrical engineering from Oklahoma State University in 1964. In 1963, he married Janice Groeneman, and they served together in the Peace Corps in Malaysia, after which they moved to Dallas. He worked as an electrical engineer, primarily at Frito Lay and Electrotech Systems, later earning an MS in electrical engineering from Southern Methodist University. Having lost his father at an early age, Brooks was determined to be an excellent father and grandfather, and the result of that determination is evident in the devotion and admiration of his children, grandchildren, and step-children. They remember him for his sense of humor, kind-heartedness, and patience. In 1990, he married Vicki Harvey. Both were lovers of Shakespeare, and together they fulfilled their dream of seeing all his plays in the U.S., Canada, and England. A great man of the outdoors, Brooks was an avid environmentalist and long-time member of the Sierra Club. He spent many happy vacations at Big Bend National Park. He was also a generous patron of the arts. From childhood, Brooks had a passion for choral music, singing for many years in youth choirs and later in choirs at Lovers Lane United Methodist Church and the Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration. Survivors include his wife, Vicki; children Alan Shafer (Sunny), Karen Shafer, and Leah Shafer Glaser (Greg); stepchildren Kelly DeBerry (Richard) and John Harvey; grandchildren Brooks Glaser, Will DeBerry, and Katherine DeBerry; and siblings Ruth Ann Shafer (Dave) and John Shafer (Elaine). A Requiem Eucharist will be celebrated Saturday, April 30, at 11 a.m. at the Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration, 14115 Hillcrest Road, Dallas. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Big Bend Conservancy or the music ministry at the Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration.