William H. Shafer, 89, of River Forest, formerly of Oak Park, died on Jan. 10, 2011. A former electrical engineer for Commonwealth Edison, he became the Oak Park Township Assessor for three consecutive terms after he retired, in addition to teaching an electric automobile class at Triton College in River Grove until the age of 80.
Mr. Shafer was the first person in the Oak Park area to convert a gasoline automobile into an electric car in the 1970s during the oil crisis.
Bill Shafer is survived by his children, David (Kara), Eric, Steven (Renee), Kristin (Daniel) LeBeau and Mark (Maria); his grandchildren, Nicholas, Scott, Maya, Evan, Joseph and Kathleen Shafer and Patrick LeBeau. He was preceded in death by Polly, his wife of 52 years.
In lieu of flowers, donations to the Alzheimer’s Association, 225 N. Michigan Ave., Floor 17, Chicago IL 60601-7633 or www.alz.org would be appreciated.
Family and friends will gather Saturday, Jan. 22, at St. John Lutheran Church, 305 Circle Ave., Forest Park, for a funeral service at 11 a.m., followed by internment at Hampton Cemetery in Hampton, Iowa.
