Billy Earl Shaffer

He was born on January 7, 1934 in Cooper, Texas, to Estelle Imadell Fletcher and Lloyd Earl Shaffer.

His early days of schooling included Little Orphan Annie and then Bartley-Woods schools before graduating from Dallas' Dal-Tech High School in 1951. Later, he graduated from Abilene Christian University of Dallas. He was the first in his family to graduate high school and the first to graduate college.

As a child growing up on Austin Avenue in Cooper, Bill worked with his family in the fields picking peas, cotton, or other crops. After moving to Dallas, the family lived on Gould, Holmes and other south Dallas streets. The family was poor and times were hard, but they made do. On Holmes Street, the family ran a little store next to their house. They also raised and sold chickens and rabbits. One year they raised and sold over 1400 rabbits. Bill sold fruit door-to-door and was a carrier for the Dallas Morning News. Later, he also worked for Sears & Roebuck.

Bill went on to become a Dallas Police officer with a 21-year career where he rose to the rank of captain, and also did his time in the Army as an MP in the Signal Corps in the 1950s. After retiring from law enforcement in 1976, he opened the first of four pawn shops and he remained in the pawn business for a quarter century. While unspoken, Bill changed the public face of the pawn industry.

Bill's first girlfriend was Mary Beth Ivey, but the love of his life was Sue-Beall Blanton, who later became his wife. They had two sons, Douglas Lloyd Shaffer and Brian Sawyer Shaffer.

Bill is survived by his son Brian, granddaughters Cheryl and Sarahbeall, and numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews.

The graveside service will be held at 11:00 am on Monday, February 12, 2024 at Sparkman/Hillcrest Funeral home. In lieu of flowers, donations to the MD Anderson Center in Houston for cancer research are appreciated.