Ira Lee Shaffer was born January 19, 1932, near Stonington, Colorado, to Melzer A. and Ruth (Griffin) Shaffer.  At the age of 87, he passed away July 6, 2019, at his home in Walsh.  His parents and three siblings were deceased before him; John B, Edsel and Laila Shaffer.  A half- sister, Mary Ann (Shockley) Winkler is deceased.  He has a half- sister, Ruthie (Shockley) Turner still living.

Ira spent most of his childhood on the family farm five miles east of Walsh, Colorado.  He attended school at a country school through the sixth grade and then graduated from Walsh Eighth Grade.

His father passed away in 1946.  At the age of 14 Ira began his career of farming east of Walsh.

On May 12, 1950, he married Dorene Ruth Frazee, who is deceased.  To this union was born Robert (Connie) in 1951, David Gene, (deceased at birth) in 1952, Elvin (Lana) in 1953, Gary (Gail) in 1954, Jerry (Vicky) in 1956 and Nick (Charla) in 1969.  He has seven grandchildren and twelve great-grandchildren.

Ira was saved at the age of 18 at a revival he attended with Dorene.  He was a lifetime member of the Walsh Friends Church where he served as a Sunday School teacher and on the finance and building committees.

One of his high lights in life was that after visiting a mission in Africa in 1980, he went back in 2003 to teach the Burundi how to drive the combine he had donated.