He is survived by his wife, Barbara, daughter, Victoria Shaffer, son-in-law, Ed Merkle, and his two grandchildren, Lila and Grant.
Visitation will be from 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM on Wednesday, August 9, 2017 at The Crossing, 3615 Southland Dr, Columbia, MO. Celebration of Life will follow at 2:00 PM on Wednesday, August 9, 2017 at The Crossing. Burial will be private in Memorial Park Cemetery.
Leigh was born on March 8, 1947 in Wichita, KS, the son of Edward and Ruth (Shelden) Shaffer who preceded him in death. He was married on August 14, 1971 in Wichita, KS to Barbara Benskin. Leigh received a BA and an MA in Psychology from Wichita State University, where he was a member of the golf team. He went on to receive a PhD in Social Psychology from Pennsylvania State University. He spent the majority of his career as a faculty member at West Chester University, in West Chester, PA. He retired in 2009 from West Chester University as a Professor in the Department of Sociology. In 2012, he and Barbara moved to Columbia, MO to be near their daughter and her family. In retirement, Leigh continued his academic work with the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA), cultivated a love of power pop music, and brought his academic pursuit of faith to The Crossing where they found community and friendship.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to The Crossing, 3615 Southland Dr, Columbia, MO 65201, the NACADA scholarship fund (https://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Programs/Scholarship-Fund.aspx), or KOPN public radio where Leigh loved to guest DJ (http://kopn.org/drupal/donate).
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