And I dont want you walking out of here feeling sorry for me. My life has been wonderful Ive had much more than my share.
Just like that. Normal speech. No anguish. No fear. No special inflection. The words of Jack Shaffer on his death bed. This beloved member of the community, fully aware of his terminal and rapidly progressing disease, managing, without effort really, to be positive.
As he always was.
In death as in life, Jack Shaffer was consistent, unwavering, imperturbable, constant as in constantly nice, constantly considerate and good-humored, a respecter of all people, a person whom others honored because he found it so natural to honor them, in every gesture, word, laugh and smile.
Shaffer had a way with people. He brought out the best in people. He gently arranged a conversation so that others would shine. He perfected the art of casual self-deprecation, of unfailing humor, that left his discussant a little lighter, a little more upbeat, a little more enthusiastic about facing the day.
Read the complete IJN obituary
If it is a mitzvah to see in all human beings the image of G-d, Jack Shaffer perfected that mitzvah. If it is a mitzvah to know that half of the Torah is about sterling human relationships, Jack Shaffer was a preeminent teacher of Torah. If it is an eternal honor to leave behind a good name, Jack Shaffers legacy is eternal, indeed.
In the 2003 Passover edition of the IJN, our annual Kudos included Jack Shaffer, and began:
Question: Jack, have you been married 50 years?
Answer: If Charlene had said yes the first time, I would be. Let me tell you the story . . .
Jack Shaffers stories were endless, and endlessly entertaining. Which is why the Kudos went on to say:
Thats Jack Shaffer. Shmooser. Gregarious. Engaging. Friendly. Warm.
But there was more to Jack Shaffer than his smile and his warmth. He is the engineer who helped produce the Lear jet. He is the person who helped keep his beloved BMH-BJ in the traditional fold. He is the serious Jew who attended minyan virtually ever day. He is, we might say, Mr. JCC of Denver, for his decades of dedication to the Loup JCC and to the national association of JCCs.
Jack Shaffer was an unwavering friend of the IJN, one of those people that everyone, in any profession, treasures: a heartfelt friend, a friendly critic, a person able to see the world through your eyes.
The response to Shaffers passing earlier this week elicited exactly the same response across a very wide spectrum of people: Such a nice guy . . . I really liked Jack . . . They didnt make them any friendlier . . . a real consensus builder, a genuine peacemaker . . . <
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Jack Shaffers passing leaves a deep and irreplaceable void for his beloved family, for his countless friends, for his community, and for that vast majority of the human race that finds in the gentle human touch the raison detre of life.
Copyright © 2011 by the Intermountain Jewish News
