Stephen Gail Shafer passed away peacefully at his home on February 28, 2023 surrounded by his family. He was born on July 6, 1949 to Gail and Phyllis Shafer in San Bernardino, CA and had two younger siblings, his brother Phil and his sister Esta. Several years later his mother remarried Carl Klein who was in the Air Force. As a result, Stephen lived in many places. His favorite was Honolulu, Hawaii, and he spent copious amounts of time barefoot on the beach. He was there when Hawaii became a state in 1959. He went to high school in Delaware and claimed to have built the first-ever surfboard in that state. After high school, he spent two years in Munich, Germany at the University of Maryland, then transferred to Gonzaga University in Spokane, WA. Soon after he arrived at Gonzaga, he met his wife-to-be Mary Beth Esser, and went on to obtain a Bachelor's degree in Biology and Master's degree in Counseling. He and Mary Beth were married in 1974 and had two children, Eric and Kirsten. Stephen worked for several years as a drug treatment counselor, and did additional training at Eastern WA University in School Psychology. He began his career as a school psychologist with the Educational Service District 101 serving rural schools. In 1985 he started his 32-year career with Spokane Public Schools. As a school psychologist he worked at all grade levels and loved working with students, especially those in special education.

Stephen was a man of deep faith, strong convictions and was dedicated to his family, friends, and serving others. He loved to talk with people, was always up for an adventure, and would drop everything to help someone. He was hard working, could help fix and build just about anything, and was quick to offer his time and truck whenever it was needed. Later in life, he joined the Knights of Columbus and found the organization to be a great fit for his generosity and the practice of his faith. He always loved to be on the water, especially boating, fishing, skiing and scuba diving. He also loved studying history and after retirement he developed a gift for woodworking and welding. Stephen was full of life, deeply touching the hearts of his family and friends, who will sorely miss him.

Stephen is survived by his wife Mary Beth, his son Eric Shafer (Michelle), his daughter Kirsten McNeil (Sean), his brother Phil Shafer (Sandy), his sister Esta Turner, his grandchildren Evan and Teagan Shafer and Claire McNeil, and numerous sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law, nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to Hospice of Spokane or St. Jude's Children's Research Center.