Donald Shaffer

SHAFFER

Donald G.

Donald G. Shaffer, 70, died Tuesday, November 4, 2014, at Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital in New York City due to complications from surgery. His wife and sons were by his side.

Don, aka "Papa", aka, "Big Papa" is survived by his wife of 18 years, Michelle; sons, Matthew and Samuel; stepsons, Donald and Stephen Poulson; sister, Karen; brothers, Jim and David, and beloved grandchildren, Aubrey, Hunter, Issac, Jillian, Max, Harriet, and Emilio.

Don was born December 19, 1943, in Springfield, Ohio to Julia and Francis Shaffer. In 1963, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force where he served proudly until being honorably discharged in 1968. He graduated from Ohio State University in 1973, and went on to work for Owens Illinois in Toledo, Ohio in the general ledger department. Later he worked for Domino's Pizza in Ann Arbor, Michigan as an IS manager.

Don was good at most things and interested in just about everything. He loved to read the newspaper and would go through several in a day, allowing him to fill up a bottomless well of information and trivia that would impress anybody lucky enough to watch Jeopardy! with him.

He loved to work with his hands and was an expert woodworker, leaving behind countless pieces that will serve as his legacy.

A lifelong fascination with history and canons led him to become involved in Civil War reenactments with the Battery H 1st Ohio Volunteers Light Artillery. He traveled with them to various battlefields around the country, including several trips to Gettysburg, a place he never got tired of visiting.

A complex man who enjoyed the simple pleasures, he was most content sitting on the deck he built sharing a cigar and drink with the wife he adored.

Smart but never smug. Dignified yet casual. Calm. Composed. Warm. Anybody who was lucky enough to have Don touch their lives probably learned something from him.

A celebration of Don's life will be held Saturday, November 15 at The Barn, 1010 Bury Road, Oregon, Ohio 43618, from 2-6 p.m., with a special remembrance for family and close friends from 5-6 p.m. Any and all who knew Don are welcome to come to this casual event to honor, listen, and share. And yes, we will be firing the canon.

In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting that donations be made to the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

http://mskcc.convio.net/goto/don_shaffer