Mary Shaffer Memorial
Donation protected
On Thanksgiving Day, November 28, our friend and colleague, Mary Shaffer, unexpectedly passed away at the age of 63.
Mary greeted everyone she encountered with warmth and compassion and she won the hearts of those lucky enough to meet her quickly.
Early in life her resilient spirit allowed her to raise four children as a single mother and later in life she dedicated countless hours helping those who found themselves in similar challenging situations dedicating by volunteering frequently with women's groups helping domestic violence victims.
After spending 25 years in health care, Mary spent the last two years at UnitedHealthcare contributing significantly to the development and implementation of a medical practice exclusively focused on serving the underserved in Tempe, Arizona.
Mary was well-respected by her colleagues and they had the following things to say about her:
"When I partnered with Mary on a project serving underprivileged populations; what was a new idea to me was well traveled space for Mary. Mary spent a lifetime working through, advocating for, and supporting people who were often too easy to see around. It was her whole life. For the team of consultants she integrated with, she helped us see these individuals in a way that reports or trend analysis never could. Her stories allowed the team to see the impact we were all trying to make and it kept us motivated on the hardest days."
"During off-hours conversation, I sat in awe of Mary's stories of protesting social injustice before I was even born. These conversations allowed me to see her values-in-action and how they crafted her rich life, built on wonderful principles many of us could never be brave enough to live so thoroughly. It sounded like she had some tough days along the way, but also, that she would do them all over again if I meant she could wake up every day and advocate for the disadvantaged and those that faced tremendous struggles on our shared path. I enjoyed her company, counted her as a friend, and will miss her terribly."
"Mary was a delight to work with. She was hard working, caring and compassionate. Due to her own life experiences, she could relate to people and used her great personality to put people at ease. She truly wanted to help improve the life of everyone she met and she put her energy into that. However, her true passion was her family. She loved her kids and her grandchildren fiercely and would do anything for them. She loved spending every second that she could with them. I have worked with her twice and I will truly miss the opportunity to work with her again. I know she truly believed that her faith saved her before and that it has saved her now."
"From the first time I met Mary, I knew she was someone who cared deeply about community and family. She was unguarded about sharing her work and life experiences, and that made her easily relatable. She communicated appreciation for any help I could give – even when I was new! The open-handed way she managed her relationships made me feel valued, and that feeling will last beyond what Mary could have imagined. She was true to herself, her mission and values, and I am grateful to have worked with her. "
"Mary was a committed, hard-working, and compassionate leader. She focused on both on building a great team and ensuring patients get great care. She brought joy to work and maintained optimism through even the most difficult days. I loved working with her and I’m deeply saddened by her loss. Our heart goes out to her family for this untimely and unexpected loss."
"Mary’s commitment to her community both in her work and outside of it was something I greatly admired. She was always humble and relentlessly focused on giving her time to those in need – setting an incredible example for those around her. I will miss her kindness and the gratitude she brought to every day working together."
Mary's loss has been felt deeply by both her colleagues and family. Mary had recently accepted guardianship of her youngest granddaughter, Nia (9 years old) after a challenging family situation. Mary also has three other Granddaughters all of which Mary was infinitely proud of that will miss her greatly.
We have started this GoFundMe campaign to help Mary's family through this challenging transition. Your donation will go directly to Mary's family to help provide for costs associated with guardianship of Nia, end-of-life needs, and other considerations.
Thank you in advance for helping to support and honor Mary's memory.
Mary greeted everyone she encountered with warmth and compassion and she won the hearts of those lucky enough to meet her quickly.
Early in life her resilient spirit allowed her to raise four children as a single mother and later in life she dedicated countless hours helping those who found themselves in similar challenging situations dedicating by volunteering frequently with women's groups helping domestic violence victims.
After spending 25 years in health care, Mary spent the last two years at UnitedHealthcare contributing significantly to the development and implementation of a medical practice exclusively focused on serving the underserved in Tempe, Arizona.
Mary was well-respected by her colleagues and they had the following things to say about her:
"When I partnered with Mary on a project serving underprivileged populations; what was a new idea to me was well traveled space for Mary. Mary spent a lifetime working through, advocating for, and supporting people who were often too easy to see around. It was her whole life. For the team of consultants she integrated with, she helped us see these individuals in a way that reports or trend analysis never could. Her stories allowed the team to see the impact we were all trying to make and it kept us motivated on the hardest days."
"During off-hours conversation, I sat in awe of Mary's stories of protesting social injustice before I was even born. These conversations allowed me to see her values-in-action and how they crafted her rich life, built on wonderful principles many of us could never be brave enough to live so thoroughly. It sounded like she had some tough days along the way, but also, that she would do them all over again if I meant she could wake up every day and advocate for the disadvantaged and those that faced tremendous struggles on our shared path. I enjoyed her company, counted her as a friend, and will miss her terribly."
"Mary was a delight to work with. She was hard working, caring and compassionate. Due to her own life experiences, she could relate to people and used her great personality to put people at ease. She truly wanted to help improve the life of everyone she met and she put her energy into that. However, her true passion was her family. She loved her kids and her grandchildren fiercely and would do anything for them. She loved spending every second that she could with them. I have worked with her twice and I will truly miss the opportunity to work with her again. I know she truly believed that her faith saved her before and that it has saved her now."
"From the first time I met Mary, I knew she was someone who cared deeply about community and family. She was unguarded about sharing her work and life experiences, and that made her easily relatable. She communicated appreciation for any help I could give – even when I was new! The open-handed way she managed her relationships made me feel valued, and that feeling will last beyond what Mary could have imagined. She was true to herself, her mission and values, and I am grateful to have worked with her. "
"Mary was a committed, hard-working, and compassionate leader. She focused on both on building a great team and ensuring patients get great care. She brought joy to work and maintained optimism through even the most difficult days. I loved working with her and I’m deeply saddened by her loss. Our heart goes out to her family for this untimely and unexpected loss."
"Mary’s commitment to her community both in her work and outside of it was something I greatly admired. She was always humble and relentlessly focused on giving her time to those in need – setting an incredible example for those around her. I will miss her kindness and the gratitude she brought to every day working together."
Mary's loss has been felt deeply by both her colleagues and family. Mary had recently accepted guardianship of her youngest granddaughter, Nia (9 years old) after a challenging family situation. Mary also has three other Granddaughters all of which Mary was infinitely proud of that will miss her greatly.
We have started this GoFundMe campaign to help Mary's family through this challenging transition. Your donation will go directly to Mary's family to help provide for costs associated with guardianship of Nia, end-of-life needs, and other considerations.
Thank you in advance for helping to support and honor Mary's memory.
Organizer and beneficiary
Kaylene Thompson
Organizer
Chanhassen, MN
Taryn Simmons
Beneficiary