October 4, 1928—March 1, 2014
Ephraim D. Shafer, born October 4, 1928 in Philadelphia, Pa., was an independent thinker practically from the start. He changed his name to Daniel E. Shafer, graduated high school early, and moved to Troy, N.Y. to attend Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. When he gr
aduated at 20 years of age with a degree in aeronautical engineering and went to work for the Boeing Company in Seattle, he looked so young that he took up smoking a pipe in order to be taken more seriously. And serious he must have been to get another degree, this time a master’s in electrical engineering from the University of Washington. He continued to work for nearly 40 years for Boeing as a guidance and control engineer.
A successful young Jewish engineer new to Seattle is obviously in need of an excellent wife, and he found one when he knocked on the door of Molly and Isadore Sigel, a nice Jewish family with three beautiful daughters. The middle daughter, Carmen J. Sigel, was just the one he was looking for. They were married June 25, 1950, and remained married for over 63 years! Together they raised two daughters, many horses, goats, rabbits, dogs, cats and chickens. Pretty good for a city boy who grew up in Kansas City, Mo.
Daniel was known for his wide range of interests and his positive can-do attitude. When he wanted to learn how to do something, he read a book about it — then did it. In this way he learned about sailing, golf, tennis, horses, guns, politics, religion, playing bridge, fixing cars, tools, agriculture, fence maintenance, sharpening knives, making wine, and many other things. Daniel was a founding member of Temple Sinai in Bellevue and an avid reader of science fiction.
He was also a wine connoisseur, he was famous for carefully studying a restaurant’s wine list, and then, after much deliberation, ordering the “house wine.” Daniel would fearlessly navigate in the mountain ranges of Washington State armed only with a map and compass, leading his family, on horseback, through rushing rivers, over mountains, down steep cliffs and through thorny brush to return them safely to their campground before dark. Of course the horses, dogs, and other members of the family might have preferred the trail, but Daniel often chose adventure over the ordinary.
As for adventure, he once promised his young daughters he would someday take them to the moon on a space ship he would help design and build. Of course they never actually went to the moon, but because of his ingenuity, imagination and intelligence, they grew up believing anything was possible. This gift was passed onto many people, both family and friends, whose lives he touched.
Daniel died March 1, 2014 on Maui, Hi., where he lived for the last 14 years. He is survived by his wife Carmen J. Shafer, his sister Judy Miller, his two daughters Pamela J. Miller and Patricia A. Knapp and their husbands Bruce and Robert; plus four grandsons and two great-granddaughters.