William Shaffer

William "Bill" Shaffer
"Unit 4"

William Paul Shaffer was born September 24, 1955, in Toledo, Ohio to Roy and Gertrude Shaffer. He died on Saturday, June 16, 2007, at age 51, at St. Vincent Medical Center surrounded by his family. Bill took courses in electronics after graduating from Whitmer High School in 1973. Before his illness no longer allowed him to work, he was employed as a factory foreman for a manufacturing firm in Ottawa Lake, MI. He also worked repairing short wave radios and just about anything else electronic.

Bill's hobbies included electronics, amateur radio, science fiction movies, Detroit Tiger baseball, history, news and politics. He was an avid viewer of CNN news, the Antiques Road Show and many TV Land series. His handle was "Unit 4" and his Ham Radio call sign was "N8WPH."

Bill is survived by his mother Gertrude Shaffer; brothers, Robert and Thomas Shaffer; sisters, Mary Shaffer, Janet (Ken) Kane and Carol (Prentis) Holmes; nieces, Amy Newbold and Laura (Tony) Richardson; nephew, Ryan Holmes; several great nieces and great nephews; and dear friends Sue and Jon Knapp, Sue's mother, Judy Meiring and radio friends, including Doug Adair. Bill was preceded in death two years ago by his devoted father, Roy Shaffer, who helped care for Bill until his own death.

Bill was a survivor in the true sense of the word. He was faced with serious chronic illnesses since his early 20's, including brittle diabetes, renal failure, colostomy, blindness and double amputation. Because his mother was his devoted caretaker, he was able to live at home his whole life. He was in the hospital countless times and overcame one medical crisis after another. He was on dialysis for 16 years and never complained about his difficult life. He continued to make the most of what he still had, teaching others around him to not take things for granted. He maintained his brilliant mind and determination to live up until the end, and his family will forever take pride in having such a courageous son and brother!

Remarkably, Bill took and passed his Ham Radio General License test. His dear friends Sue and Jon arranged for licensing examiners to come to Bill's hospital room and they administered the test orally, which Bill passed with a score of 100%!

The family would like to thank St. Anne Hospital ICU and Progressive Care staff, especially nurse Tom of the ICU for making him more comfortable and spending time talking to him and his family during his numerous hospitalizations. The family also thanks Dr. Herbert Stockard for his many years of care, and St. Vincent Medical Center Palliative Care staff for their compassionate care in Bill's last hours on Earth.

Visitation will be Wednesday, June 20 at Newcomer Funeral Home, 4150 W. Laskey at 10:00 a.m. followed by a Noon memorial service at the funeral home. Father Martin Donnelly will officiate. Burial will follow at Historic Woodlawn Cemetery.

Donations in memory of Bill may be made to The Autism Academy of Learning, 219 Page, Toledo, OH 43620 (the school that his sister founded and his nephew attends), or to the Northwest Ohio Kidney Foundation.