Sandra Minser Shaffer

Sandra Minser Shaffer, 85, longtime resident of Azle, passed on to be with the Lord on Monday, December 15, 2025, with her family by her side.

Visitation will be from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. December 19 at White’s Funeral Home in Azle. The funeral service will be held at 10:00 a.m. on December 20, 2025, at First Baptist Church Azle, officiated by her son, David Shaffer, with all three sons participating. Burial will follow at Ash Creek Cemetery, where she will be laid to rest alongside her husband.

Memorial gifts may be made in honor of Sandy Shaffer to Son Shine Ministries, the ministry she co-founded with her husband, Lew, alongside Ted and Barbara Platt (Online: equipfamilies.org; By mail: Son Shine Ministries, PO Box 456, Azle, TX 76098).

Sandy was born on September 22, 1940, in Massillon, Ohio, to Doyle and Gwen Minser. She was the youngest of two daughters, with a sister 15 years her senior. A saxophone band leader, high school cheerleader and homecoming queen, Sandy left her hometown of Mt. Eaton to attend Otterbein College in Westerville, Ohio.

While a freshman at Otterbein, Sandy met Lewis “Lew” Shaffer, a senior, and their relationship soon led to marriage. They were married June 7, 1960, in a civil ceremony in Basel, Switzerland, and again June 8, 1960, in a church ceremony officiated by Lew’s father at Rhein-Main Air Base in Frankfurt, Germany, where Lew was stationed with the U.S. Air Force.

Sandy and Lew were blessed with three sons: Steve, born in 1961; David, in 1963; and Tim, in 1967. As an Air Force family, they lived in several locations across the United States, including three years in Hawaii. While living in San Antonio, Sandy and Lew began attending a neighborhood Bible study. Though they had attended church throughout their lives, God opened their hearts to the Gospel, and their lives were transformed. From that point forward, they sought to serve Jesus together.

Lew began teaching the Son Shine Class at their church and later developed a family program titled “The Christian Home Seminar.” Along with close friends Ted and Barbara Platt, they formed Son Shine Ministries in 1977. The ministry team traveled extensively to churches and military chapels. After Lew retired as a lieutenant colonel following 22 years of service, Son Shine Ministries relocated to the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and established its headquarters on a 22-acre property near Azle. Sandy led women’s ministries and often served as the music leader at seminars.

Son Shine Ministries also launched Azle’s Fourth of July tradition, “Follow the Flag,” now overseen by the Azle Area Ministerial Alliance. Each year, a special award is presented in honor of Lew and Sandy Shaffer.

In 1987, Lew suffered a massive stroke that permanently altered their lives. Sandy stepped into the role of caregiver with quiet strength and devotion, caring for her husband for 31 more years. Together, they continued a ministry of encouragement and presence. Married for 58 years, their partnership was a lasting example of steadfast love.

Sandy was preceded in death by her husband, Lew Shaffer; her grandparents, Jacob and Mary Minser and Wellington and Elizabeth Richeson; her parents, Doyle and Gwen Minser; her sister, Betty Todd; her nephew, Tom Chelf; and her great-granddaughter, Mirielle Stark.

She is survived by her sons, Steve Shaffer and wife, Joan; David Shaffer and wife, Daniele; and Tim Shaffer; grandchildren, Jordan Stark and husband, Bryon; Dylan Shaffer and wife, Megan; Nathaniel Shaffer and wife, Gabrielle; and Jonathan Shaffer and wife, Olivia; great-grandchildren, Malachi Shaffer, Caribelle Stark, Scarlett Shaffer, Maverick Stark, Slade Shaffer, Violet Shaffer, Amos Shaffer and Maeve Shaffer; and beloved nieces, nephews and extended family.

Most of all, Sandy loved Jesus. While she will be deeply missed, her family rejoices in her present reality.