Mary Jane Shaffer
Mary Jane Shaffer, beloved aunt, friend, and community volunteer, died Friday, January 21, 2022, in St. Louis, Missouri. She was 73.
Her death in a hospital was caused by complications from a car accident.
Mary was born December 16, 1948, in St. Louis, Missouri, to Charles Lloyd Shaffer and Bernice Irene Woodruff Shaffer. She grew up in Sullivan and had fond memories of days spent on the family farm, playing pranks on her sisters and younger brother.
Upon graduating from Sullivan High School in 1966, Mary played softball, basketball, and volleyball at Southwest Missouri State University, where she also accomplished the difficult feat of achieving a 1.9 GPA, mostly attributed to a fondness for goofing off and a general lack of interest in studying.
Mary moved home to Sullivan after her time at SMS. Known as “Sarge” to her students, she taught elementary school in Strain Japan and was a substitute middle school teacher for the Sullivan School District for several years before joining the Air Force in 1972.
Mary was one of the first women to complete Air Force survival training and spent eight years in the service. During that time, she traveled the world and even lived in Tokyo, Japan. She told fantastic stories of her exploits and kept her crew in line, reminding them that the world would be a better place if women were in charge.
After being honorably discharged from the Air Force in 1980, Mary joined what she coined “The Underwear Wars.” She spent the rest of her career working in the clothing manufacturing industry at Anjelica Uniform in St. Louis and Fruit of the Loom in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
While living in Kentucky, Mary devoted her free time to two of her favorite pursuits: caring for animals as a board member of the Bowling Green/Warren County Humane Society and supporting young women as a booster of the Western Kentucky University Lady Hilltoppers basketball program.
She returned to Sullivan upon her retirement in 2012. Never one to sit still, she quickly took to volunteering with the Meramec Community Mission. She brought color and fun to our town, which she affectionately referred to as “Hooterville,” and reveled in caring for her family, friends, and neighbors, whether by mowing a lawn, barbecuing a batch of ribs, or sending a care package full of their favorite things. An amateur craftsperson, home improvement projects, woodworking, and stained glass making brought her great joy (and sometimes, great headaches).
Mary was preceded in death by her parents, sisters, Susan Shaffer Penton and Elizabeth “Betsy” Shaffer Steinbach, and dear friend, Virginia “Ginny” DeLeon.
She is survived by her brother, Charles “Chip” Shaffer, Jr., and wife Fran of O’Fallon, IL; six nieces and nephews, Angela “Angie” Witt and husband Jeff, Robert Steinbach and wife Terri, Aimee Rambin and husband Gary, Anjelica McMurphy, Christina Schneider, and Chas Shaffer; nine great-nieces and -nephews; her beloved Golden Retriever, Winston, and many, many friends.
A memorial barbecue will be held this spring at Meramec State Park, one of Mary’s favorite places.
In lieu of flowers, expressions of sympathy may be made to the Meramec Community Mission.
“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive;
and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.”
–Maya Angelou