Dina B. Shaffer

Dina B. Shaffer, 94, of Bloomington, IL peacefully passed away on March 17, 2022 at Good Samaritan Nursing Home in Pontiac, IL. She was born on April 21, 1927 in Baltimore, MD to Carlo and Angelina (Abbate) Iorio.

Dina graduated from Catonsville (MD) High School in 1943 at the age of 16 and from Oberlin College in 1948 with Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Music Education degrees. From 1948 to 1950, she taught elementary music and art in Sandusky, OH public schools. In 1950, she married John Scott Shaffer, Sr., who preceded her in death in 1986. A brother, Ted, died in 1951.

Starting in 1954, for 20 years she served as a devoted, do-everything, stay-at-home mom. In 1959, the family began making their home in Toledo, OH. From 1974 until her husband’s death, she served as his legal secretary. Thereafter, she worked as a paralegal for the law firm of Marshall & Melhorn in Toledo, retiring in 2002 at the age of 75.

Dina was a member of Epworth United Methodist Church and its chancel choir, the Toledo Choral Society, and the Toledo Bar Association Auxiliary. She was an accomplished pianist, opera and symphony devotee, avid knitter for family and charities, consummate wordsmith and grammarian, and unconditionally loving mother and grandmother. She was greatly respected and dearly loved by family and friends. We miss her twinkling eyes, warm smile, quick and award-winning walking, ready wit, efficient busyness, and steady encouragement.

She is survived by: sons J. Scott (Tamera) Shaffer of Bloomington, IL and Todd (Kristin) Shaffer of Temecula, CA; daughters Lauren (Tom) Fox of Akron, OH and Robin (Carl) Svendsen of Apopka, FL; eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren; and French high school exchange student, “son” Stefan (Michelle) Rohde.

The family would like to extend a special thank you to the staff at Carriage Crossing for their wonderful care of Dina.

On Saturday, July 9, 2022, beginning at 10:00 a.m., friends and family will gather to remember Dina and share light refreshments at Walker Funeral Home, 5155 W. Sylvania Ave., Toledo, OH 43623 .  A Celebration of Life Service will start at 11:30 a.m., followed by a private graveside service. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a memorial gift made to Toledo Choral Society, Toledo Opera, or Toledo Symphony Orchestra.