Violet Lucille Shafer

Vi Shafer, 68, passed away on Tuesday, April 11, 2006, at Alden Lakeland Hospital, Chicago. She was born in Berrien Springs to Randall and Lucille (Jarrett) Crawford, on July 26, 1937. In 1957, she married Brian Earnest Shafer and had three sons: Jeff (Pam) Shafer of Appleton, Wisconsin, Brian Marc Shafer of Sault Sainte Marie, and Bob (Deanna) Shafer of Benton Harbor. She also has a brother, Robert Crawford, of Chicago, Illinois. She also has four grandchildren and one great-grandchild. She is preceded in death by her parents and her sister Barbara Wells. Vi was Miss Coloma in 1956. She has been past Chairman of the Miss Coloma, Miss Hartford and Miss Blossomtime committees. She has groomed many of the past area queens over the years and was very active in her community. Vi was a member of Ascap, SESAC, Chicago National Association of Dance Masters, Cornerstone Alliance, and the Coloma Chamber of Commerce. She received the Distinguished Woman Award in 2000 for her unique gift as teacher and choreographer in the art of dance by the community of Coloma. Vi started dancing early in life. She started touring the country in 1949 with her sister Barbara Wells. She danced for many dignitaries, foreign diplomats, and even President Eisenhower. She started a dancing school with her sister and then later opened Vi Shafer School of the Dance in 1961. She has had studios in Coloma, Hartford, Riverside, South Haven, and St. Joseph. She started Dancers' Carousel, a non-profit organization to raise money to help her dancers travel the world as ambassadors of dance. She also gave back to the community in many ways, such as donating Christmas decorations for the light posts in downtown Coloma, purchasing hospital beds for Community Hospital Watervliet, and dance scholarships. Vi's performing troupe has traveled all over the world to places such as Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Brussels, Belgium, Spain, and Paris, France. Her dancers will be performing at Disney World and Sea World Orlando this year. A Celebration of Life service will be held 1:00 P.M., Tuesday, April 18, 2006, with Pastor Tim Nyhuis officiating at Kerley-Starks & Menchinger Family Funeral Home, 2650 Niles Rd., St. Joseph. Burial will be in Coloma Cemetery. Friends may call on the family from 5:00 - 7:00 P.M., Monday, at the funeral home. Memorial donations may be made to the Vi Shafer Memorial Fund. Those wishing to share a memory or sign the guestbook online may do so at www.starks-menchinger.com