Proverbs 31: 10 and 28, A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her.
Rosa Lee Shaffer, of Forest, Va., passed into the arms of Jesus on Thursday, Sept. 22, 2022, at her home with her husband, George, by her side. She was born in Masontown, on Aug. 4, 1943, daughter of the late Harry F. and Alma M. Strahin.
She was a devoted follower of Jesus Christ and shared the gospel in the way she lived her life. She was a Proverbs 31 wife, mother, grandmother and friend whose wisdom, love, and gifts were the source of constant encouragement to her family. She loved reading the Bible and listening to stories from the Bible. She loved gardening and flowers of any kind and any color, interior decorating, sewing and reading, especially books on interior design. In particular, she enjoyed sewing dresses and costumes for her daughters and granddaughters, including Cinderella, Snow White, Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, Princesses Elsa and Anna and the Coat of Many Colors.
She was an active member of First Baptist Church in Charlottesville, Va., participated in Sunday school teaching with her husband and was blessed to support the Pathways Ministry at First Baptist Church, a ministry designed for those who could not otherwise access church and grow in God’s love for all, regardless of their needs or abilities. As a deacon’s wife, she made many visitations to homes and hospitals, and participated in other events in support of the deacon ministry. She worked in the soup kitchen and made quilts for patients of the Ronald McDonald house.
At an early age, Rosa Lee showed the courage that marked her life by leaving her loving home in West Virginia to come to Washington D.C. to utilize her administrative skills. She attended Strayer School (now College) and excelled at using her planning and organizing talents to become a chief administrative assistant in the national headquarters of the Letter Carrier’s Union in Washington D.C. She was always inquisitive and loved to learn. Over the years, she studied interior design at the University of Maryland, phlebotomy at the University of Virginia, took numerous computer courses and was excited to travel to big cities in the United States and abroad. She enjoyed trips to the ocean, especially the Outer Banks, N.C. To her family, Rosa Lee was a source of everything good: faithfulness, love and inspiration.
She is survived by her soul mate, help mate and husband of 52 years, George R. Shaffer, Sr.; and three adoring children and six cherished grandchildren: daughter, Christina Shaffer Rogers, her husband Arthur and their two children, George Arthur Rogers and Isadora Rosalee Rogers; daughter, Jessica Shaffer Berry, her husband, Jonathan and their three children, Rowe Jonathan Berry, Norabel Rosaleigh Berry and Finleigh Almarose Vivian Berry; and son, George R. Shaffer Jr., his wife, Mary and their son, George R. Shaffer III.
She was preceded in death by her grandson, Caedmon Peter Rogers. She is also survived by siblings, Harry Strahin Jr., of Youngstown Ohio, James Strahin and Brenda, of Cascade, Susanna Stout and Michael, of Masontown, and Daniel Strahin and Jeannie, of Masontown; and many loved nieces and nephews in Ohio and West Virginia. She was preceded in death by brothers, Arthur Strahin and Fred Strahin.
She was sweet, kind, gentle and caring and will always be remembered that way. That legacy is now carried on in her children and grandchildren. The family wishes to thank Drs. Andrew Romano and Sylvia Hendrix and the nurses and staff at the Phillips Cancer Center at Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital for their loving and tender care of Rosa Lee.
A funeral service to celebrate Rosa Lee’s life will be conducted at First Baptist Church, 735 Park St., Charlottesville, Va., at 11 a.m., Friday, Sept. 30, with Pastor Rob Pochek officiating. Interment will follow at Culpeper National Cemetery, 501 East Chandler St., Culpeper, Va., at 2 p.m. that day, officiated by Pastor Don Hicks. A time of fellowship with Rosa Lee’s family and friends will begin in the sanctuary at First Baptist Church one hour prior to the service at 10 a.m.
And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love that is in Christ Jesus our Lord, Romans 8:38-39
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