William Colgan Shaffer

William Colgan Shaffer

Decatur

William Colgan Shaffer Sr., 73, of Decatur died July 4, 2014. Bill's funeral Mass will be at Annunciation of the Lord Catholic Church on Friday, July 11 at noon with Father Ray Remke officiating. Visitation starts at 11 a.m. Burial will be Wednesday, July 16 at 11 a.m. at Jefferson Memorial Gardens East, Birmingham. Ridout's Brown-Service Funeral Home is directing.

Bill was born December 26, 1940, in Birmingham to Charles and Mary Shaffer. In 1958, Bill graduated from John Carroll High School, then attended Auburn University. Bill married his high school sweetheart, Patricia A. Pair, on December 30, 1961. They lived in Opelika where he began his career with Sears. His daughter, Elizabeth, was born 1967 in Opelika, and his son, William Jr., was born 1970 in Valdosta, Ga., before spending over five years traveling as a store auditor. In 1981, Bill transferred to the Memphis area to settle down for his kids' high school years in Germantown. He enjoyed serving as his son's Scoutmaster. A promotion moved him to the Chicago Sears Tower in 1989. They chose to live in Batavia, Ill., and enjoyed the retirement and returned to Alabama. Bill volunteered his financial skills and beautiful voice to Holy Family Parish, but his most favorite " job" was "Paw-Paw." Bill was preceded by his parents, Charles E. Shaffer Sr. and Mary Colgan Shaffer; and brothers, Charles E. Shaffer Jr. and James G. Shaffer Sr. He is survived by his wife, Patricia; children, Elizabeth and William; grandchildren, Kyle and Colgan Mince; and his sister, Mary Catherine Young.

In lieu of flowers, the family request donations to the Annunciation Building Fund, Smile Train or Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (PFF).

This obituary was originally published in the Decatur Daily.