Gene Shafer

Floyd Eugene Shafer died Wednesday, October 5, 2011 at the Bonell Good Samaritan Community in Greeley, Colorado. Gene, as his many friends knew him, was born on November 30, 1918 in Coshocton, Ohio, a town of 10,000, 70 miles east of Columbus, Ohio to Floyd C. and Jesee (Waddell) Shaffer. He attended grade school in Coshocton where he was very active in all school events. He was marble champion of the school and later took second place in the city championships. In junior high Gene took banjo lessons and later played the French horn in the Coshocton Symphony Orchestra that had an excellent reputation all over Ohio. He also played in the 100-piece Boy Scout Marching band and gave summer concerts and played for birthdays and "cake walks”. To this day Gene attributes his love of music and jazz to those many summer days when he and his friends would travel all over Ohio to see and dance to Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, Kay Keyser, Glenn Gray, Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway and others. Later as a member of the Greeley Elks Club, Gene sang in the Elks Men’s Chorus. It was in high school that Gene began to exhibit leadership skills that would later serve him in his adult life. He was active in sports; baseball, basketball and especially football where his 96-yard punt is a record to this day. Gene was also elected senior class president in high school. After high school he played semi-professional basketball with the Buckeye Clothiers and played all over the state of Ohio. His interest in basketball later resulted in a twelve-year commitment to refereeing the game. The biggest, if not most interesting and arguably the most fun, game he ever refereed was a game staring the Original Harlem Globetrotters. While continuing his interest in athletics, Gene worked for the Ohio Fuel & Gas Company and eventually took a position with a finance company where he eventually excelled and became a branch manager. In 1941 Gene married Virginia Lee Fitch, daughter of Reverend and Mrs. Millard R. Fitch, pastor of the Coshocton First Church of the Nazarene. It was Reverend Fitch who performed the marriage ceremony. Gene and Virginia would later become the parents of three children; Jeffrey now of San Jose, California, Susan Ellis of Littleton, Colorado and Becky Shafer of Austin, Texas. Gene worked in a defense plant in Cincinnati, Ohio during World War II. After the war Gene and his wife moved to Greeley, Colorado. The move was difficult since Gene had to give up a good job and move to an area where he knew few people. Fortunately, Greeley was good to the young couple and their children and Gene soon had a job working for Ennes Dairy for a short time. He then worked for a short time in Eaton. It was in Eaton where he heard about a position with the Farr Farms Company in Greeley that he soon took, rising to the position of human resource manager and accountant. Gene retired from Farr’s after 35 years of service and to this day remains good friends with members of the Farr family. Retirement did not suit Gene he was soon back to work as an administrative assistant with a local CPA firm. Later he took a job with Adamson’s Mortuary and worked there for 16 years until his eventual retirement in 2003. Along the way Gene also did volunteer work for the Weld County Sheriffs Office in the investigative division. There he worked with a young John Cooke who would later become sheriff of Weld County and a good friend. Gene has been a member of the First Methodist Church all his life and has been active in many civic organizations. He was a Boy Scout master at the same time as his wife was a Cub Scout Den Mother. He was president of the Greeley Quarterback Club, founding member and officer of the Greeley Optimist Club, 60-year member and past Exalted Ruler of the Greeley Elks Club #809, founding Director of the Greeley Consumer Credit Counseling Service and president of the Belair Water Company. He was often called the "mayor” of Belair Park since he knew so much about the area, having been one of the first residents of the new area in 1954. For thirty years Gene was a volunteer member of the football chain crew at Greeley Central, Greeley West and Northridge. During those thirty years Gene had only one mishap; his leg was broken when an opposing team member was tackled into him while he held the down marker on the sideline. Gene is survived by his son, Jeff Shafer and his wife Carol; daughters, Susan Ellis and her husband Robert, and Becky Shafer and her partner Robert Leonard; granddaughter, Jennifer Ellis; and great granddaughter Meccah. He was preceded in death by his wife, Virginia Shafer; grandson, Jason Ellis; and brother, Francis Shafer. Services will be 11:00 a.m. Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at Adamson Chapel with viewing one hour prior to the service. Inurnment will be in Linn Grove cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to "Hospice and Palliative Care of Northern Colorado” in care of Adamson Funeral & Cremation Services, 2000 47th Ave. Greeley, CO 80634.