Colonel Randy A. Shaffer, USAF, DC (RET)
December 3, 1951 – January 25, 2022
Dr. Randy Alan Shaffer died peacefully at home on January 25, 2022 on a snowy Tuesday morning in Parker, CO. Randy was warm in his bed along with his beloved wife, Victoria, his devoted cat, Snowflake, and his enormous dog, Samson.
Randy was born December 3, 1951 in Albuquerque, New Mexico to Roy and Francis Shaffer. He was the third of seven children and the first boy born to the family. Randy spent his boyhood happily exploring the city he always considered home, conducting experiments with (and often on) his younger brothers, building, discovering, tinkering, and learning…always learning. Randy followed his love of science to a degree in Biology at UNM, followed by Creighton University Dental School where he graduated summa cum laude in 1980. After a brief stint in the United States Navy, Randy realized that ships were not for him and turned instead to the skies, joining the United States Air Force, and serving honorably and proudly in the Dental Corps for 34 years. He eventually rose to the rank of Colonel, a lifelong ambition of which he was deeply proud and which he endeavored to live up to every day of his life. Randy met his beautiful wife Victoria in 1989 and after a whirlwind romance, they married in April of 1990, rarely leaving one another’s side for the rest of his life. Randy and Victoria travelled the world together, living in almost 15 different cities and countries before settling in Colorado to be near their grandchildren. Retirement found Randy flying his meticulously built model airplanes, target shooting at the gun range and traveling with his family for as long as he could. Randy loved spaghetti and meatballs, ice cream sundaes and his mom’s date nut bars. He loved Disneyland, old cars and movies, castles, Renaissance Festivals and The Beatles. He loved his brothers, Bruce and Jason, his sisters, Janice, Jessica, Donna and Lois, and he idolized his parents. He was honest, kind, trustworthy, and steady. He had the best laugh and one deep dimple when he smiled. He was a wonderful, amazing stepfather (although he disliked that term and never used it), a loving grandfather and respected father-in-law and mentor. He will be forever loved and missed by his wife, Victoria Burchell Shaffer, daughter and son-in-law, Lisa and Tyler Weik, grandchildren Jackson and Allison, his father Roy, his brothers and sisters, in-laws, nieces, and nephews, and all those who served alongside him.
“You know that place between sleep and awake, that place where you still remember dreaming? That’s where I’ll always love you. That’s where I’ll be waiting.”
For anyone who would like to make a charitable donation in honor of Randy Shaffer, the family asks that you consider your favorite animal rescue or veteran support organization, as they were both near to his heart.