Obituary of Elinor George Shaffer

Elinor George Shaffer Elinor Shaffer died in her sleep on April 3 at the age of 97. Elinor was born in Wichita, Kansas on January 3, 1916. In 1927 she moved with her family from Bishop, CA to Merced where she attended school and met her childhood sweetheart, Keith Shaffer. They attended UC Berkeley together and shortly after graduation were married. After the war they lived in Southern California but in 1950 moved to Santa Cruz, CA, to operate Shaffer's Tropical Gardens on 41st Avenue. Her husband of 67 years Keith Shaffer died in 2005. She is survived by sons William and Richard Shaffer, daughter in law Alana Shaffer, and grandsons Zachary Shaffer and Bodhi Shaffer. A memorial service was held at Oakwood Memorial Park, 3301 Paul Sweet Road, Friday, April 5th, 2013 under the direction of Santa Cruz Memorial. . Elinor will be remembered as a loving mother, a confidant, and a protector to her two sons. To her husband, she was a stalwart partner, a muse, and a friend. To the world, she was a consistent optimist, the most gracious of hosts, and the warmest of friends that you could hope to have. The world has lost a true lady. She will be greatly missed.