James Clair Shaffer

James Clair Shaffer, 100, died peacefully on July 3, 2020, at his new home in Brewer, Maine. He was born on May 23, 1920, in Rockton, Pennsylvania, to Clair and Carrie (Huey) Shaffer.

Jim grew up on his parents’ small farm in Rockton. During his school years, he helped on the farm, while his dad worked in a nearby clay mine. He was a member of the Church of the Brethren and enjoyed times on his grandmother Eliza Huey’s farm, as well as playing the guitar. Following graduation from DuBois Senior High School, he joined the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1939 and served in a Clearfield County camp. His duties there included tree planting, fire-road construction, and editing the camp’s monthly newsletter. Providentially, he also took a class in welding.

During a trip to Niagara Falls, NY, in 1941, he inquired of job openings in the then booming city and was referred to Niagara Boiler & Welding Works because of his welding experience. The company hired him “on the spot” as a combination welder, mostly working on chemical production cells. There began a life-long career.

However, America entered World War II and called for Jim’s service in the U.S. Army Engineers from 1943 to 1945. After training at Fort Belvoir, VA, his unit sailed on the Queen Mary to Great Britain. Further instruction followed there before Jim and his fellow engineers travelled to the European continent. His unit focused on bridge reconstruction and railway track replacement for the war effort. The work progressed from Normandy to Germany. In later years he would speak of the kindnesses shown by local families in the war zones.

Jim was honorably discharged from the Army in late 1945; and he soon returned to his job in Niagara Falls. He also resumed the budding relationship he had started with Ruth Rohring of Wilson, NY. She returned from stateside hospital service in the Women’s Army Corps in 1946. The two married the next year.

Jim and Ruth spent most of their married lives in Lewiston, NY, where they raised two daughters and a son. They were members of Hope Lutheran Church, where Jim served as financial secretary. Upon closure of his first employer’s business, Jim began his new job at Niagara Steel Finishing, doing layout and welding. Most work centered on fabrication of industrial products, but he also assisted to construct a metal sculpture by Tony Smith for Buffalo’s Albright-Knox Art Gallery.

After retirement, Jim devoted more time to gardening, tending fruit trees, visiting friends and family, camping, and fishing. His interest in metal- and wood-working also continued: he made and sold dozens of hexagonal picnic tables. In 1993 Jim and Ruth moved to Melbourne, FL. There they enjoyed the warmth, extended gardening season, and membership in the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer. Jim also began to read more, using a magnifier/viewer to see better. Following Ruth’s death, he moved to Monrovia, CA, to live with his daughter Diane and her husband. There he enjoyed seeing many family members, taking long walks, and reading. When Jim’s health required further care, he moved to an assisted living facility in Maine close to son Gary and his wife.

Jim is survived by the following immediate family members: daughter Barbara Ankenbauer of Colorado, daughter Diane (Bernie) Pyska of California, and son Gary (Jane) of Maine; six grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren. Besides his parents and wife, Jim was predeceased by his brother, Robert Shaffer, and his sister, Jane Bonsall.

A memorial service soon will be held at First United Methodist Church of Bangor. Entombment will be at Florida Memorial Gardens, Rockledge. Memorials in Jim’s name may be made to Research to Prevent Blindness (www.rpbusa.org).