Raymond T. Shafer, Sr.'s Obituary
Mr. Raymond Tell Shafer, 84, of Charlotte, NC, passed from this life on Friday July 15th, 2022. Ray was a native Texan, born in Runnels County on December 20th, 1937.
As a trooper with the Texas Department of Public Safety, his career took him to many different areas of Texas including Breckenridge, Midland, Pecos, and Abilene before he became a Sergeant with the License and Weight division in Beaumont. He lived there for over 40 years. In 2017 he moved with his wife to Charlotte, NC to be closer to his family.
In his early years Ray was a carpenter, a trade he learned from his father. All his life he continued to enjoy woodworking and cabinet making. He was also an avid gardener, growing bounteous vegetables which he enjoyed sharing with neighbors, work colleagues, and church friends. Ray was a golfer, fisherman, and enthusiastic RV adventurer. In retirement he took over all the cooking, not only at home, but also frequently for his church, Trinity United Methodist. Ray also spent many years umpiring high school baseball, and refereeing football in order to provide a college education for his children and wife.
Ray was preceded in death by his parents, William Douglas and Sybil Denson Shafer, his sisters Peggy Shafer Overman and Louise Shafer Collins, and his son-in-law Jesse Martinez. He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Zerlina Tollett Shafer; his children Rehnea Raines (Billy), and Raymond Shafer Jr. all of Huntersville, NC; grandchildren Sebastian Shafer of Huntersville, Ashlee Kemble of Knoxville, TN, Garrett Kemble (Michael) of Los Angeles, CA, Ricky Raines (Mallory), and Chrissy Raines all of Charlotte; great-grandchildren Caiden and Owen Hovey, and Maxwell Raines; brother Hugh Douglas Shafer (Greer), and many loving nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will be held at 11:00am Friday, July 22nd at Aldersgate Retirement Community in the chapel, 3800 Shamrock Drive, Charlotte. The family will receive friends immediately after in the living room at Aldersgate. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made locally to Memorial United Methodist Church, 4012 Central Ave, Charlotte, NC, 28205, or in Texas to Trinity United Methodist Church, 3430 Harrison Ave, Beaumont, TX, 77706.
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