Gordon Shafer

Gordon Shafer, 90, of rural Detroit Lakes, MN, was called home by his Heavenly Father on Wednesday October 29, 2025, at Bethany Retirement Living Center in Fargo, ND.

Gordon Ray Shafer was born November 5, 1934, in Towner, ND, the third of five children blessed to William and Finna Shafer. The family lived and farmed in the Towner, Upham and Bantry area, eventually settling on the family farm southeast of Devils Lake, ND.

Gordon began his formal education at Rosebush School in rural McHenry County, traveling across the prairie and hog wallows in a buckboard wagon driven by a team of horses who knew the way. Stories told by Gordon and his highly entertaining older brother Richard of their “Rosebush Days” are the stuff of lore.

At the age of ten, Gordon contracted poliovirus. The doctor in Towner said it was nothing serious and sent him home. Fortunately, his mother had read about polio in a local farm paper and brought him to a doctor in Rugby who diagnosed Gordon with bulbar polio, a more severe and often fatal form affecting the respiratory system. With only one iron lung available and another child in greater need of it, Gordon battled in a hospital bed for weeks, his little body covered in hot packs. He would later credit Hope Ilene Shroyer, a nurse at the Rugby Hospital and his first cousin, as the angel who saved his life.

In 1946, the family moved to rural Devils Lake where they owned and operated a dairy farm. His time at Rosebush hadn’t prepared him for the big school. After some initial culture shock and learning to master his locker combination, Gordon thrived academically and socially. Apparently, he and his school buddies had so much fun, his mother took to calling them “The Dalton Gang.”

Gordon graduated from Devils Lake High School in 1953 and went on to earn a bachelor’s and later a master’s degree in animal science from NDSU. After college he returned to the family farm where he and his folks expanded their herd, installing one of the first parlor milking systems in North Dakota.

In 1961 he made the best move of his life for love, marrying Lillian Rose LeClerc on June 11 at St. Peters Lutheran Church in Devils Lake. They made their home on the Shafer family farm and started a gang of their own, welcoming Wade in 1962, Brenda in 1963, Dawn in 1965 and Shannon in 1966. Gordon loved dairy cattle. But a severe drought in the Devils Lake Basin throughout the early 1960s left pastures bare and quality forage hard to come by.

In 1966, they made the difficult decision to disperse the herd and equipment, and move to Detroit Lakes, MN, where Gordon accepted a position with the University of MN Extension Service in Becker County. Lillian continued to practice nursing until the birth of their youngest daughter Dixie, in 1968.

The move proved a blessing for Gordon and his family, He went on to enjoy a highly rewarding career with University of MN Extension, serving as a County Agricultural Agent and Extension Director in Becker for many years, before being tapped to serve as NW Extension Program Leader for Agriculture in 1986, Following a restructuring of the University of Minnesota’s Extension system in the early 1990’s, Gordon served as Extension District Director for NW Minnesota, a Dean’s Leadership Cabinet position with programmatic and administrative leadership responsibility for all University of MN Extension staff and offices in the NW, Gordon and his Dodge Diplomat retired 1997. He, with over 31 years of service. The car, with over 300,000 miles. He knew every good pie place between St. Paul and the Canadian border. However, it was the many wonderful relationships forged over time with 4-H families, community leaders, friends and colleagues that gave meaning and purpose to his work.

Apparently, raising five children amidst demanding professional careers wasn’t enough for Gordy and Lill. They bought a tired farm north of Detroit Lakes, some equally tired machinery, and a few cows, and called the place “Shafer’s Shoestring Ranch.” Gordy had a soft spot for cattle and a propensity for trying new things. The Continental Breed revolution of the late 1960s and 70s piqued his interest enough to buy a few registered Charolais females. He soon branched out to Simmentals, becoming a charter member, president and board member of both state breed associations. What began as a hobby grew into a sizable purebred cattle operation involving every member of the family and any friend or neighbor willing to help. Hard work was not an option but a privilege at “The Shoestring.” In the early morning hours, when dad called up the stairs, offering the other half of his grapefruit to the first kid dressed and ready to work, you better get out of bed, whether you liked grapefruit or not.

After Gordy retired from Extension and Wade returned from Colorado State University with a PhD in Beef Cattle Genetics, the herd grew to 500 cows, with cooperator breeders in several states and 150 bulls sold annually. With life pulling the family in different directions, the herd was dispersed via auction on September 17, 2001, a week after the tragedy of 9/11. The sale was the second highest grossing of the Simmental Breed that year, with Shoestring Ranch genetics going to numerous states and several Canadian Provinces.

When asked to share thoughts on the life of their grandfather, Gordon’s Grandchildren replied:

He was gritty, loyal, resilient and eternally optimistic; not even a freight train or a run in with a disagreeable cow could kill him. He was leather tough, with a “can do” attitude and never shied away from a job that needed to be done. Strong minded and true to his beliefs, he valued hard work and modeled it all of his life. He could wrangle chickens and fix anything to “good enough.” Unpretentious and content, he and grandma cared little for appearances or material things. He never drove a vehicle he couldn’t pay cash for. He loved The Lord, loved us unconditionally and we loved him back. . He survived a near-death run-in with a freight train in 2014, fueled by the knowledge that he still had Grandma to care for…if that isn’t love and The Lord’s intervention, nothing is.

Gordon is survived by his sister Carol (Art) Rohr, sister-in-law Rosalie (Jim) Ringstrom, son Wade (Kathy) Shafer, daughters Brenda Shafer, Dawn (Mike) Forbes, Shannon (Bob) Maixner, and Dixie Shafer (Jerald Dosch). Grandchildren Sadie, Samantha, Aaron, Alec, Lillian, Finna, Aidan, Kaia, Lucy, Christian, Tony, Mike, Jake. Kristi and 7 great grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his wife Lillian, parents William and Finna, Brother and sister-in-law Richard and Helen Shafer, Sister Jean and a brother who died at birth, as well as many cousins, uncles, aunts, in-laws and friends.

In lieu of flowers or trees, the family requests donations to be made to Zion Lutheran Church and The Gordon & Lillian Shafer 4-H Endowment for Youth Leadership & Service.

Here is the link for those who want to donate directly: z.umn.edu/Shafer4H