1948
Kent
2013
Kent Richard Shaffer
October 26, 1948 — March 5, 2013
Kent Richard Shaffer died at his home on Saturday, March 2, 2013. He was born to Bob and Donna Shaffer on Oct. 26, 1948, in Devils Lake, N.D. He attended school in Rock Lake, N.D., before the family moved to Missoula, where he attended Lewis and Clark and Lincoln grade schools. After a brief return to Rock Lake, he attended Franklin and Whittier grade schools. In 1966, he was in the first ever graduating class of Hellgate High School. He enlisted in the Army in 1968. He did a full tour in Pusan, Korea. Kent’s passion for sports began early and ran deep. While in Korea he was a player/coach on his base’s fastpitch team. He also played basketball while there and earned the nickname “Shack” after Lynn Shackleford of the dynastic 1960s UCLA men’s basketball team. After an honorable discharge in 1970, at the rank of sergeant, he attended the University of Montana on the G.I. Bill. He was the first of his 12 siblings to earn a college degree.
After graduating from high school, Kent worked as a sports reporter for the Missoulian. This early experience with journalism stayed with Kent. Writing was a talent that Kent’s family and a broader audience appreciated throughout his life. His family Christmas letters were legendary and were a great outlet for his writing talents and his quiet, dry and sarcastic wit. They were a fine balance of humor and heart. Kent covered sports for north-central Montana’s Class B and C schools. His writings appeared in several publications, including Pioneer Press, Shelby Promoter, Western Breeze and, occasionally, the Great Falls Tribune.
One of Kent’s lifetime loves was the game of fastpitch. The first league Kent organized was a baseball league on a vacant lot on 13th Street in the Franklin area. When the family moved to the Northside, Kent organized a fastpitch league for the neighborhood. The field was on a vacant lot next to the Shaffer house on Palmer Street and was referred to as “Shaffer Stadium.” He also played park ball in the summer and fastpitch for his school’s team. Forced to play slowpitch for one season, he played third base for Bill Neilson and was error-free all season. Kent enjoyed playing fastpitch with his brothers at Northside and Spurgin stadiums. He was instrumental in running the Moe Smith Fastpitch tournament for many years. Shuffleboard at Chuck’s Bar and Amateur Hour at the Amvets were a couple of activities also Kent enjoyed. Favorite watering holes were the Silver Dollar, Red’s Bar and Cut Bank’s Wolf’s Den.
Kent started his teaching career in Cut Bank in ’75-’76 school year. He was a special education teacher with the Cut Bank district for more than 30 years. He was a dedicated, patient, organized and humble teacher. He always gave generously of his time, talent and energy. Kent’s goal for his students was to help them graduate and become good citizens. He went beyond the classroom and was the president of the Cut Bank Booster Club for more than 20 years. While teaching in Cut Bank, he and longtime friend Mike Reynolds developed a middle and high school track program that was the envy of their competitors. The middle and high school track programs benefitted from their distinct yet complementary personalities. Kent’s organizational skills and commitment teamed with Reynolds’ ability to motivate were a winning combination for many years. Kent’s organizational ability to run any tournament or competition, be it wrestling, basketball, track or softball, was remarkable.
“Sarge’s” labor of love was his seasonal football newsletter. The newsletter kept family, friends, and acquaintances connected weekly. The weekly abuse sheet was a highlight for many, as were the weekly poker games at Kent’s Cut Bank residence. Most of the participants in the poker game were longtime teaching friends of Kent.
Kent was loyal to the Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts. His favorite baseball team was the New York Yankees. One of Kent’s goals was to see a game in every major league stadium. He made it!
Kent is survived by his mother, Donna Shaffer; siblings, Michael, Linda (Mike Booth, North Carolina), Curtis (Jane Kenyon, Shelby), Brent, Clark, Nancy (Bill Linnell), Patrick, Brad (Lisa Clark), Joan and Mary Kay (Tim Howard, Alabama); and many nieces, nephews, and grandnieces and grandnephews. He was preceded in death by his father, Robert (Bob) Shaffer; sister, Barbara; brother, Bill; and coaching and teaching colleague, and good friend, Mike Reynolds.
There will be a memorial at the Elks Club in Cut Bank on Sunday, March 10 at 2 p.m. A celebration of Kent’s life will be held in Missoula at a later date.
After graduating from high school, Kent worked as a sports reporter for the Missoulian. This early experience with journalism stayed with Kent. Writing was a talent that Kent’s family and a broader audience appreciated throughout his life. His family Christmas letters were legendary and were a great outlet for his writing talents and his quiet, dry and sarcastic wit. They were a fine balance of humor and heart. Kent covered sports for north-central Montana’s Class B and C schools. His writings appeared in several publications, including Pioneer Press, Shelby Promoter, Western Breeze and, occasionally, the Great Falls Tribune.
One of Kent’s lifetime loves was the game of fastpitch. The first league Kent organized was a baseball league on a vacant lot on 13th Street in the Franklin area. When the family moved to the Northside, Kent organized a fastpitch league for the neighborhood. The field was on a vacant lot next to the Shaffer house on Palmer Street and was referred to as “Shaffer Stadium.” He also played park ball in the summer and fastpitch for his school’s team. Forced to play slowpitch for one season, he played third base for Bill Neilson and was error-free all season. Kent enjoyed playing fastpitch with his brothers at Northside and Spurgin stadiums. He was instrumental in running the Moe Smith Fastpitch tournament for many years. Shuffleboard at Chuck’s Bar and Amateur Hour at the Amvets were a couple of activities also Kent enjoyed. Favorite watering holes were the Silver Dollar, Red’s Bar and Cut Bank’s Wolf’s Den.
Kent started his teaching career in Cut Bank in ’75-’76 school year. He was a special education teacher with the Cut Bank district for more than 30 years. He was a dedicated, patient, organized and humble teacher. He always gave generously of his time, talent and energy. Kent’s goal for his students was to help them graduate and become good citizens. He went beyond the classroom and was the president of the Cut Bank Booster Club for more than 20 years. While teaching in Cut Bank, he and longtime friend Mike Reynolds developed a middle and high school track program that was the envy of their competitors. The middle and high school track programs benefitted from their distinct yet complementary personalities. Kent’s organizational skills and commitment teamed with Reynolds’ ability to motivate were a winning combination for many years. Kent’s organizational ability to run any tournament or competition, be it wrestling, basketball, track or softball, was remarkable.
“Sarge’s” labor of love was his seasonal football newsletter. The newsletter kept family, friends, and acquaintances connected weekly. The weekly abuse sheet was a highlight for many, as were the weekly poker games at Kent’s Cut Bank residence. Most of the participants in the poker game were longtime teaching friends of Kent.
Kent was loyal to the Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts. His favorite baseball team was the New York Yankees. One of Kent’s goals was to see a game in every major league stadium. He made it!
Kent is survived by his mother, Donna Shaffer; siblings, Michael, Linda (Mike Booth, North Carolina), Curtis (Jane Kenyon, Shelby), Brent, Clark, Nancy (Bill Linnell), Patrick, Brad (Lisa Clark), Joan and Mary Kay (Tim Howard, Alabama); and many nieces, nephews, and grandnieces and grandnephews. He was preceded in death by his father, Robert (Bob) Shaffer; sister, Barbara; brother, Bill; and coaching and teaching colleague, and good friend, Mike Reynolds.
There will be a memorial at the Elks Club in Cut Bank on Sunday, March 10 at 2 p.m. A celebration of Kent’s life will be held in Missoula at a later date.
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