Ronald Keith Shafer

RONALD “RONNIE” SHAFER

Loving father, grandfather and great-grandfather.

Ronald Keith Shafer, 85, of Tacoma, passed away Saturday, June 23rd, 2018. He was born 16 March, 1933, in Peoria, Ill., to Ruth Alma and Albert Lemoine Shafer. Ronnie joined the military almost immediately after graduating high school. He fell in love with the people, forests, and mountains of the Pacific Northwest while on temporary duty in Seattle and when he retired from the USAF after 22 years of service he made Washington state his home. Over the next 43 years he worked briefly at Boeing then moved west to the Tri-Cities to work for Westinghouse at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation.

An avid Seahawks and Mariners fan, he was happiest when riding his motorcycle throughout Washington or pulling his family and friends on the Columbia with his ski boat. As a young man, Ronnie worked for Pabst Blue Ribbon and was a devoted fan and consumer of PBR throughout his life. Ronnie had been a resident of Tacoma over the past 20 years and it’s here that he met his friend and companion of many years, Nelda Staller, while working at H&R Block.  He will be dearly missed. Ronnie was preceded in death by his parents; sister, Linda Bradshaw and sister, Karen Shaw. He is survived by his half sister Cheryl Hippen of Peoria, IL.; half brother Kevin Hippen  of Bentonville, AR.; and sons Major Keith Shafer (U.S.A.F., ret) of Las Vegas, NV; Colonel Mark Shafer (U.S.M.C., ret) of Mercer Island; Lieutenant Colonel Dan Shafer (U.S.A.F., ret) of Tacoma; and daughter, Teri Mogensen of Surprise, AZ. He was blessed with 11 grandchildren; and 11 great-grandchildren.

Services will be held at 11 A.M. Tuesday, July 3rd at Tahoma National Cemetery at 18600 SE 240th ST, Kent, WA 98042. The family asks that in lieu of flowers donations be made to Wounded Warrior Project at www.woundedwarriorproject.org in memory TSgt Ronald K. Shafer. 

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Ronald Keith Shafer, please visit our floral store.