Eddie Shaffer

EDDIE SHAFFER Eddie D. Shaffer, 56, went to be with his Heavenly Father on Tuesday morning, June 16, 2015 in the Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St Louis, MO. He was born April 17, 1959, in Waukegan, Illinois, the son of Billie Dean and Erma Brooks Shaffer. He moved with his family to Tupelo, MS at an early age. He made a profession of faith at the age of 10 and was a member of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Tupelo before moving to Illinois. Mr. Shaffer was raised in Tupelo, MS and graduated from Tupelo High School in 1977. He served in the Army National Guard and was honorably discharged in 1979. Then he moved to Illinois and earned a degree in criminal justice from Rend Lake College in Ina, Illinois. He was retired from the Illinois Department of Corrections, working from April 19, 1993 to September 30, 2014 and he last worked for the Du Quoin Impact Incarceration. He was an avid fan of the Atlanta Braves and the St. Louis Cardinals baseball teams and he would attend games when he could. He also loved to fish and hunt. Mr. Shaffer is survived by his mother, Erma Newell of Tupelo, MS; one son, Colter Shaffer (Jessica) of Mt Airy, Maryland; two grandchildren, Hudson and Leighton; three sisters, Pam Bowman (Jim), Cindy Berryhill (Lucas) of Tupelo, MS and Vicky Porter of Belden, MS; his fiancée, Sandy Gilliam of Benton, IL; half-brother, Bill Poulos; half-sister, Kelly Brooks of Oregon; three nephews, Michael and Adam Bowman and Matt Lavender; special aunts and uncles, Mancel and Margurette Robison and James and Polly Newell. He was preceded in death by his father and step-father, William Newell. A celebration of life service will be held at 5 p.m. Tuesday, June 23, 2015, at W. E. Pegues Funeral Home with Bro. Bert Harper officiating. Visitation will be two hours prior to funeral service at Pegues. Burial will be in the Tupelo Memorial Cemetery in Tupelo, MS. Pallbearers will be Michael Bowman, Matt Lavender, Jim Bowman and Lucas Berryhill. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to American Cancer Society, P O Box 22718 Oklahoma City, OK 73123-1718. Expressions of sympathy may be left at www.peguesfuneralhome.com