Avid sailor who also held a pilot’s license
Published October 9, 2019
LYNNFIELD — Miriam Ann Shafner, 75, a longtime resident of Lynnfield, died Sunday, Oct. 6, 2019 at her residence surrounded by her loving family.
Born in Merrimac on March 11, 1944, she was raised on the Sargent Farm dairy farm by her late parents, George Leonard and Alice (Bragdon) Sargent.
Miriam was raised in Merrimac and was a graduate of Pentucket Regional High School. She then went on to the University of New Hampshire, where she received her bachelors of science, majoring in Occupational Therapy, which was her life’s work. She had spent most of her career, more than 20 years, as an Occupational Therapist for the Lakeside School in Peabody, helping to enrich the lives of her special needs students.
Outside of her vocational interests, Mrs. Shafner was an avid sailor. She was also a devoted wife and mother. Having been the wife of a 22 year Navy veteran, she thrived in the role of keeping the children and home in order while her husband was away on deployments. Together, she and her husband also enjoyed flying. Under the tutelage of her husband, Miriam got her pilot’s license. They also were a host family for the organization, “Guiding Eyes for the Blind,” training seeing eye dogs. She also was the host mother for a German exchange student and was the host grandmother for nine au pairs.
Mrs. Shafner was a breast cancer survivor, spending 30 years of her life battling, and surpassing doctor’s expectations, while always maintaining a positive attitude. She had been written about in countless articles and medical magazines. She was a parishioner of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Lynnfield and was active in the church choir.
She was the beloved wife of Richard J. Shafner. She was the loving mother of Christine Shafner and her husband Robert Johnson of Mercer Island, Washington; Scott Shafner and his wife Julie of Gig Harbor, Washington; and Deborah Biggar and her husband Lee of Lynnfield. She was the cherished grandmother of Cyrena and Theadora Johnson; Chloe and Sophie Shafner; and Jonathan, William, and Eleanor Shafner Biggar. She was the sister of Barbara Stevens of Pennsylvania; and the late Paul Sargent. She was the aunt of Mike Stevens and his wife Kristy (their children Emily and Amanda) and Lisa Marano and her husband Christopher (their daughter Samantha).
A funeral service and celebration of life will be held in St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 127 Summer St., Lynnfield on Friday, Oct. 18 at 10 a.m. Interment to follow at Puritan Lawn Memorial Park, Peabody. Visitation for relatives and friends will be held in the church’s Great Room on Thursday, October 17 from 6-8 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Miriam’s name may be made to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, P.O. Box 849168, Boston, MA 02284.
Arrangements in the care of the McDonald Funeral Home, Wakefield.
