Donald C. Shaffer, age 84, of Sioux Falls, SD passed away, 2 September 2026, at the VA Hospice Cottage, Sioux Falls, SD.

Donald Clarance Shaffer was born on 9 March 1942 in Sioux Falls, SD, the son of Donald O. and Lorraine (Gadbois) Shaffer. He grew up in the Sioux Falls area, graduating from Washington High School in 1962. He attended technical school in Omaha, NE and received his refrigeration certificate in 1965.

On 22 June 1965 he was united in marriage to Anna Marie Dieren in Sioux Falls. The couple made their way to Omaha and were blessed with three children: Kristine, Sandra and Donald Kirk and returned to Sioux Falls in May 1977. On 11 November 1995, he married Lynette (Koehler) Endres in Brandon Valley, SD.

He was a competitive amateur boxer for the Golden Gloves Boxing Squad from 1959-1961. He then entered the US Navy and served from July 1962 to November 1963. He worked as a maintenance man for Land O’Lakes Dairy, Midland National Life Insurance, the Howard Johnson Complex and last, Homewood Suites before retiring to take care of his wife, Lyn. He joined AA in 1985 and maintained sobriety for 41 years, as well as mentored and walked alongside those in the program.

He was a jack-of-all-trades: workwise, it encompassed HVAC systems, electrical, plumbing and welding; and hobby-wise, he was an avid fisherman, hunter, woodworker, flower and vegetable gardener, buying, repairing and refinishing antique furniture and a collector of arrowheads and other artifacts, Viking Glass, kerosene lamps, angels, eagles, and did we mention, fishing.

Besides his parents, Don was preceded in death by his sisters, Bernadine Hoel and Lynnette Brewster Allain.

Grateful for having shared his life are his daughters, Kristine Shaffer of Lennox, SD and Sandra (Chuck) Frasier of Tyndall, SD; his son, Donald Kirk (Crystal) Shaffer of Sioux Falls, SD; his brother, Ronald (Pam) Shaffer of Warrenton, MO.

Services will be held at Miller Funeral Home (Westside Chapel) 6200 W. 41st St. Sioux Falls, SD) on Friday, September 18, 2026 at 11:00AM with a Visitation one hour prior.