Edgar Allen Shaffer, 77, of Searcy, died Saturday, April 19, 2014. He was born October 4, 1936, in Nashville,
Tennessee, the son of Clinton Claire Shaffer and Everette Mae Simmons Shaffer.Ed Shaffer is survived by his wife of 50 years, Margaret J. (Peggy) Lloyd Shaffer of Searcy;
children, Brent Shaffer of California, Cindy Hunt of Arizona, Darlene Simmons (Robert) of California, Kim
Kirkman (Brett) of Searcy, Arkansas; Stephen Shaffer (Kathleen) of Murrieta, California; and Greg Shaffer (Kim)
of Maumelle, Arkansas; grandchildren, Jason Standish, Leigh Ann Jennings, Grant Shaffer, Kristina Strander,
Joshua Hunt, Laura Campbell, Melissa Strozewski, Michael Staggs, April Staggs, Heather Hintergardt, Justin
Hargrove, Conor (Alyssa), Anna-Grace, Mary-Margaret and Everett Kirkman, Corey and Kasey Shaffer; and
six great-grandchildren, a sister-in-law Carol Hackett, niece Kristen Hackett Campbell (Rich), and nephews,
William Hacket and Clinton Stearman (Norma). He is preceded in death by his parents: a daughter, Marla Jennings;
a grandson, Brandon, and a sister, Anna Mae.
Ed grew up in Southern California with his family in Alhambra. He graduated from Mark Keppel High School
in 1954, where he participated in swimming and as a yell leader. Ed served four years in the Air Force Reserves
and was always very patriotic, supporting our country. He began his career in the aerospace industry working as a
draftsman at what became McDonnell Douglas. Ed was always a learner and began taking classes at Citrus College
to become more fluent in computer languages. In 1982, Ed stepped into a new season in his career and took a
national account manager position at ComputerVision, working with major accounts such as Sun Microsystems.
He retired from Prime ComputerVision in 1998 and was able to serve as the Head of School at Sonrise Christian
School while his dear friend, Tim Burlingame, was undergoing cancer treatments. Ed joined the San Gabriel Valley
Christian School (Sonrise Christian School) Board of Directors in 1974 and served on that board for 25 years and
as the chairman for 22 of those years.
Ed married Margaret (Peggy) Lloyd in Las Vegas, Nevada, on August 28, 1964. They made their home in Arcadia,
California, then moved to Baldwin Park, Califonia, where his nephew Clinton would live with them. In Baldwin
Park, Ed and Peggy met a couple in the neighborhood, Elizabeth and Barney Matthews, who invited them to study
the Bible and visit their church. Ed and Peggy became members of the Baldwin Park Church of Christ in 1968. Ed
and Peggy were very involved and made lifelong friends (the Grants, Hardins, Sissels, and Tapparos) there. He
served as a deacon and elder until they moved to Arkansas in 2000.
In the summer of 2000, Ed and Peggy moved to Searcy, Arkansas, to retire. This was the same year Peggy and Ira
Kirkman moved to Searcy, and they became the dearest of friends. In this retirement, Ed and Peggy opened a
children’s store, Everett, with their daughter, Kim, and son-in-law, Brett. Ed loved meeting people in the store and
was the official pottery firing guy. During this season, Ed got his real estate license and began helping people find
their dream homes all over White County. He made dear friends all over town. Ed was chairman of the Main Street
Searcy Board of Directors and was the greatest ambassador for Searcy. He enjoyed working closely with Amy
Burton, executive director of Main Street Searcy. He hung his real estate license with ReMax and enjoyed the
colleagues there. Rob Joyner, the principal broker, was a kind businessman and encouraged Ed to keep his office
open for as long as he wanted, even during his treatment. This was a gift to Ed, and when he was feeling good, he
would go into the office to check on his friends and colleagues.
Ed always had a cheerful disposition and loved everyone he knew. He had the gift of encouragement, never held a
grudge, and saw the positive side of life. Ed always brought joy to those around him. He always had a positive
approach to life, saw the good in people, loved his wife and children, and taught us each how to live our lives full
of joy and love for our families.
Brothers and sisters, we want you to know about those Christians who have died so you will not be sad, as others who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and that he rose again. So, because of him, God will raise with Jesus those who have died.
I Thessalonians 4:13-14
If you've ever loved someone and they had to leave too soon
To know what I'd trade for one more day to have 'em.
To know what it takes to live my life without them.
I could tell you all the details of who I am, but then again.
To know me, you would have to know my friend.
If you've ever heard a bird sing in the middle of the night
Then you know that heaven's waitin' to take you by surprise.
Oh, and the more you love somebody, the more you have to lose.
But when they leave this world, they leave their fingerprints on you.
To know why I keep on pushin' past the limit.
To know why I live every day like it's the end.
To know why I'm grateful every single minute.
To know me, you would have to know my friend.
Lauren Daigle
I Thessalonians 4:13-14
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