James Shaffer Sr

On February 22, 2013, James H. Shaffer, Sr. (Jake), age 84, of Centreville, MD (formerly of Hyattsville, MD), beloved husband of the late Shirley L. Shaffer, cherished father of Sharon (Tom) Allinger, James (Smokey) H., Jr. (Sally), Russell (Vicky), Laura (Dale) Anderson and Bruce (Pam); devoted grandfather of Matthew and Michael Allinger, Brian (Michelle), Kevin (Shannon), Brooke, and Heather Shaffer, Kaitlyn and Nick Sansbury; great-grandfather of Collin, Reese, Kyle and Jared Shaffer. Viewing at Gasch's Funeral Home, 4739 Baltimore Avenue, Hyattsville, MD on Sunday, February 24 from 3 pm to 5 pm and from 7 pm to 9 pm. Services will be held at Gasch's on Monday, February 25 at 11 am. Interment to follow at George Washington Memorial Cemetery, 9500 Riggs Road, Adelphi. Following internment the family will welcome guests at University of Maryland Golf Course Club House, Golf Course Drive, College Park, MD. Memorial contributions can be made to: Hospice of Queen Anne's 255 Comet Drive Centreville, MD. 21617 www.hospiceofqueenannes.org



James Harold Shaffer, Harold to his family, Jake to his friends, was born in Washington, DC on April 14, 1928 to Andrew J. and Viola F. Shaffer. In addition to his sister Dorothy (who preceded him in death) the family grew to include brothers Donald and Glenn. His family moved to Maryland when he was a young child, he attended elementary school in Bladensburg and Bladensburg High School. He enlisted in the Navy Reserves in 1948 and served for nearly five years, mostly at Anacostia Naval Air Station.
In 1949 he met the love of his life, Shirley L. Phillips, who had recently moved from Washington, DC to Edmonston. As she recounted, she saw this tall, dark good looking guy out tossing around a football with his friends and just happened to venture outside to talk with him. As they say, the rest is history, and they were married on April 29, 1950. As many young couples in the post-war era, they moved in with his parents and two brothers and started a family. Five children followed in rapid succession: Sharon, James H. Jr. (Smokey), Russell (Rusty), Laura and Bruce. During the early years they moved to Greenbelt, but returned to Edmonston when Mom's father died in 1953 and her widowed mother needed their help. In 1956 they moved to Palmer Park, Maryland, then a booming community filled with young families. Living near them were Shirley's cousin Doris Jones, her husband Pete, their son Larry and Shirley's Aunt Biddy - known to the Shaffer kids as Granny. Shirley's sister Annie and her husband Eddie and their four children soon followed making for a neighborhood of family and friends.
Following high school, Dad worked in a grocery store, but after marriage took a job as a truck mechanic with Pete Jones at Dy-Dee Wash. During the baby boomer years, having clean diapers delivered was a commonplace event. That was fortunate for Mom, as she had five little ones, and sometimes more than one child in diapers at a time! Dad stayed at Dy-Dee Wash for many years, finally leaving to take a more stable position at Prince George's General Hospital in Cheverly, MD. Dad was the proverbial jack-of-all trades - but in his case, a master of all trades. He had an innate gift for automotive mechanics and a natural curiosity about how things worked. He retired in 1991 and soon thereafter, following family tradition, moved in with his daughter Laura and son-in-law Dale and lived with them until he died.
As the years passed, Mom and Dad's family continued to grow as the "kids" married and started their own families. Sharon and Tom have two sons Matt and Mike; Smokey and Sally have two sons, Brian and Kevin; Rusty and Vicky have a daughter, Brooke; and, Bruce and Pam have three children Heather, Nick and Kaitlyn. Most recently, Smokey and Sally became grandparents with the addition of Kyle, Jared, Collin and Reese. Dad was a great-grandparent to four, making four generations of first born males carrying the Shaffer name forward.
Mom and Dad were married for 40 years before her far too early death in 1990. This union created many family traditions. Dad and all of his children graduated from Bladensburg High School and at various times everyone in the family worked and/or volunteered at Prince George's General Hospital, where he worked for over 20 years. When Mom and Dad worked at the hospital together, they enjoyed the opportunity to spend time with each other. Dinner was always an important time and when Dad came home from working at the hospital, everyone was there, dinner was on the table and ready for him at 6:09 pm. While their children occupied their time and energies, Mom and Dad always found time for each other. Family was of paramount importance to them - Dad recounted that he would rather have hot dogs with his kids than eat steak with anyone else.

Dad's focus was on his family, his faith and his friends. His compass was always at true north - he was a remarkable man, humble, and at the end at peace with his God and his life. In those last days, he was more concerned with and interested in what was happening with his kids and their families than his own failing health. We will now try to carry on that legacy, and are at peace, knowing he was reunited with his beloved Shirley, my girly, who he has missed every day since she died. We will always miss him and know that one day we will all be reunited.

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