Gregory S. Shafer

Gregory Steele Shafer, 59, of Plum PA passed away unexpectedly on June 30, 2022. Greg graduated from Penn Hills High School in 1981. The rest of his education came from living his life with an innate sense of curiosity about the world. Greg liked his beer dank, his pizza with sausage and/or pepperoni, and his humor very dry. Greg made a lot of observations that lead to even more opinions that he was not afraid to share because, as he put it, "I'm only saying what everyone else is thinking."
Throughout his life, Greg enjoyed traveling. He took many memorable trips with his family and his friends. Car, plane, motorcycle, bicycle, hiking, or mega bus, it didn't matter how he got there, he was always up for an adventure. Greg believed the journey was as important as the destination and it was ok to stray from the itinerary as long as he didn't have to listen to any tour guides. Most mornings when everyone else was sleeping in on trips, he was up early walking, exploring because he was "up anyway."
Greg appreciated sleeping in a tent, and eating cheesy jalapeno brats cooked over a fire as much as he enjoyed much as staying at a nice hotel, having a "killer" meal with a glass of red at a good restaurant. This probably explains why someone who really loved the feel of the wind and the smell of the woods was just as energized by walking for miles in New York City. Greg met his wife of 34 years, Karin (Dushaw) when they were just 16. They clocked thousands of hours listening to music and traveling together over those years. "Let's just go and see where we end up" and "How long until you're ready ? " were standard weekend questions. But in more recent years, they often ended up in places that had "brew" somewhere in the title that might just happen to have one of their favorite food trucks parked out front. These times were made even better when friends and family joined them.
For as much as he loved to travel and see new things, the place Greg loved being most was much more familiar. That was anywhere his sons Zachary, 28, and Colin, 23 where. He often said no matter what else he did or didn't get to do in this life didn't really matter because his sons where the best things he ever gave to the world. Greg loved his family. When he was home, Greg spent a lot of time hanging out on the deck he built with his dad. It was made with a custom sized railing the perfect height for setting down a cocktail comfortably. This tweak in the design was a source of discussion for many years as it was not regulation according to his dad, the union carpenter.
When the boys were young, Greg let them dig out most of the grass in the backyard so they could build dirt jumps for themselves and their friends who often came over to ride. There was always lots of laughing, planning, digging, a little swearing and dust, so much dust, but Greg didn't care, he gladly gave them the shovels because he always had the best seat in the house for watching the show. As the boys got older and the grass grew back, he still spent time out there listening to music, enjoying a cocktail that sat comfortably on the railing between sips. He watched the family of hawks that nested in the woods behind the house, the hummingbirds he faithfully kept feeders for, along with bats, and lightening bugs depending on the time of year and the time of day. Greg loved being outside but it might also have been that the deck was where he felt closest to his dad. He would often say that the house might blow over but the deck was built to last.
Greg started working as a truck driver for Turner Dairy in Penn Hills, PA when he was 22, he would have been there 37 years in August. Greg was a proud union brother, steward, and member of the Executive Board of Teamsters Local 205 in White Oak, PA. Being part of the Executive Board was something he was especially proud. Greg often said that he was not so great with words when it came to expressing himself even when he cared deeply about people but in his usual fashion, he found his own way of doing things when it came to that. Whether it was moving a refrigerator, putting on a roof, putting up a ceiling fan, or manning grill all day if you asked him help he would be there or even when you didn't he'd still be there. In addition to his wife and sons, Greg is survived by his mother, Margaret Shafer (Steele), his father R.Paul having proceeded him in death, sister, Paula Migliore ( Daniel), brother, David Shafer ( Suzanne ), Aunt and godmother Carol Steele ( Mark Douthit)) mother in law, Carole Dodero, brother in law Greg Dushaw ( Karin), and sister in law, Kate Wilson ( Robert) as well as nieces, nephews, and a host of other family members and friends who love him and will miss him, his sense of humor and the way he snorted when he laughed. Lucky for all of us he left us with plenty of stories and Greg phrases to remember him by. A private celebration of Greg's life is being planned for the fall, his favorite season. Greg loved dogs and was often heard saying, "look at the puppy." In lieu of flowers donations is Greg's memory may be made to Donate - Semper K9 - Service Dogs for Veterans or The Mario Lemieux Foundation https://mariolemieux.org/make-a-donation/
A Memorial Tree was planted for Gregory
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