Michael C. Shaffer

Remembering Michael

Michael had a way of leaving people lighter than he found them. He brought a smile to everyone he met—not a polite one, but the kind that made a person feel noticed and glad they had crossed his path. I miss the light he carried without even trying.

He was an avid reader with a bright, restless mind. As a ninth-grade gifted honors student at Belle Vernon Area School District, he earned numerous awards in competitions with other districts. He loved music and played both piano and percussion. He loved computers enough to build one of his own. He loved animals, exploring old mines, skateboarding, BMX, and giving his time to charity. Those were not hobbies he dabbled in. They were the ways he moved through the world.

Michael C. Shaffer of Rostraver Township passed away on February 25, 2020, at the age of 14. He was a member of the Christian Center Church in Rostraver Township. The space he occupied was larger than fourteen years should have been able to hold.

His memory is still felt in the people who knew that smile, in the books and music and machines he loved, and in the quiet places he liked to explore.