Shirley Ellen (Stager) Sheaffer

Shirley Ellen (Stager) Sheaffer

Shirley Ellen (Stager) Sheaffer, age 85, of Lower Allen Township, passed away at Claremont Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Carlisle on Thursday, August 31, 2017.  Shirley was born on Sunday, September 6, 1931 in Harrisburg to the late Frederick O. Stager and Edna (Calhoun) Stager.  Shirley was the widow of Carl William Sheaffer who died on April 12, 2008.  In addition to her parents and husband, Shirley is preceded in death by her grandson, Benjamin Eckert; her two son-in-laws: Fred Orner, and Bob Jones; and her six siblings: Richard, Bertha, Sarah, Betty, Helen, and her twin sister, Charlotte.

Shirley’s survivors include her two daughters: Bonnie Orner of Mechanicsburg, and Sharon Jones and her companion, Bill, of Delaware; her three granddaughters: Carol Shenk and her husband, Dennis, of Lancaster, Karen Crawford and her husband, Erik, of Dillsburg, and Sharon Filipovich and her husband, Brad, of Carlisle; her eight great-grandchildren: Kaley, Holly, Gabe, Courtney, Jessica, MacKenzie, Jonathan, and Jacob; her sister, Gloria Wingert; and her dear and loyal friends, Tom and Ruth Yohe of Shiremanstown.

Shirley’s family remembers:  “Shirley spent many of her working years as presser in the Grantham Dress Factory and later was employed by the Fairfield Hotel in New Cumberland.  While we are sure Shirley was a model employee, the job she loved the most was being a mother, grandmother and especially great grandmother.  It was not uncommon for all rules and parental limits set on her great grandchildren to go out the window as soon as they stepped into Shirley’s house. Eating sugar cookies in the morning and being filled up with candy by lunchtime was not just encouraged at Grams house, it was expected.  Shirley also had 2 separate dogs (both named Mackette) in her later years that she was devoted to and showered with treats and affection.  Not only were her dogs showered with affection, Shirley was an animal lover and she always had dog treats hidden in her pockets and freely given to any dogs she came across.  Shirley was an excellent baker.  Her homemade sugar cookies were the stuff of legend and always in demand by family and friends.  However, the demand for sugar cookies paled in comparision to the requests for her homemade apple dumplings.  The combination of her homemade dough and fresh apples were a delicacy that family members looked forward to and requested quite frequently.  Shirley was also a very good cook and like many of her generation really excelled at items that were either fried, saturated in butter or otherwise generally considered unhealthy by todays standards…but they were delicious.

In a refreshing way, Shirley was not and never tried to be politically correct.  She was never shy to express her beliefs, views and opinions on anyone that wanted to listen or even those that didn’t want to listen.  Shirley was known for making telemarketers sorry they ever dialed her number and we are sure most put her on the Do Not Call list voluntarily.”

Shirley’s family will be remembering and celebrating her life privately.  Burial in St. John's Cemetery in Mechanicsburg will be at the family’s convenience.

The family sends their most heartfelt thanks to everyone at Claremont Nursing & Rehabilitation Center who so lovingly cared for Shirley.

Contributions in celebration of Shirley’s life can be made to Humane Society of Harrisburg Area, 7790 Grayson Road, Harrisburg, PA 17111.

Shirley’s family has entrusted her care to Myers – Buhrig Funeral Home and Crematory in Mechanicsburg, (717) 766-3421.  Read Shirley’s full obituary, view her memorial portrait, and sign her official guest book at Buhrig.com.