Harry E. Shafer, Jr.

Harry E Shafer, Jr. age 84, of Centennial, CO, passed away peacefully at AdventHealth Hospital in Centennial on September 23, 2023 with his family by his side.

“Butch” as he was known to his family, was born on September 27, 1938, in Hazleton Pennsylvania, the son of the late Harry E Shafer Sr. and Harriet A Shafer.

After graduating from MMI Preparatory School in Freeland, PA, Harry went on to attend Dickinson College where he graduated in 1960 with a BS degree in Geology.  He then married his high school sweetheart, Marilyn E Eberts on August 6, 1960, and they moved to Morgantown, WV where he attended West Virginia University and graduated with a Master’s degree in Geology in 1963.  While in Morgantown, he received a patent for manufacturing bricks made from fly ash thereby beginning his career in the brick industry. Over the years he worked for International Brick and Tile in Edmonton, Alberta; Glen-Gery Brick in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, and Denver Brick Company in Castle Rock, Colorado where he retired as President. 

Harry will be remembered fondly for his dedication to his family. He was a wonderful husband, an excellent “girl dad”, a sage father-in-law and a doting grandfather.  He enjoyed numerous activities including playing basketball, home remodeling, identifying rocks and minerals, skiing, playing hockey on a homemade ice rink, telling (sometimes scary) stories, reading civil war novels, cheating at Scrabble, collecting wine, diving for gold coins, researching genealogy, fly fishing with flies he tied himself, traveling (especially to New Zealand) and the occasional bourbon.

He will be greatly missed by all those whose lives he touched, especially his wife, Marilyn, daughters Suzanne (Tim) Nelson, Amy (Gene) Dobrzyn, Becky Shafer and Jennifer Shafer, and granddaughters Caitlyn Nelson, Caroline Nelson, Erin (Nick) Souza and Emily Dobrzyn.  He also leaves behind his sister, Virginia Thompson, his brother David Shafer being recently deceased.

The family would like to express their thanks to the nurses at AdventHealth for their compassionate care.

A private celebration of Harry’s life will be held at a later date.