Deceased September 19, 2021
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In Memory
It is with sadness I report that Gregory Shaffer, born July 15, 1947, passed away on Sept. 19 at Venice Hospital in Florida of complications from a postsurgical MRSA infection. His greatly saddened widow, Robin Mattison, phoned me with the news after finding my number among Greg’s possessions.
I had the enormous pleasure of meeting with Greg a few times these past several years in Sarasota, Fla. He had such a keen intellect, which he managed to express in a joyous manner. He mixed a profound, peace-affirming sense of the spiritual with the down-to-earth business savvy which he translated into financial success. Greg was a graduate of Nutley (N.J.) High School and went on to Amherst; Yale; Mansfield College; Oxford, where he earned a divinity degree; and London Business School. Before moving to Florida, Greg lived for 32 years in England, where he picked up an endearing British accent, which, combined with his superb intellect, made him an even more engaging, classy gentleman. Despite or perhaps inspired by his divinity degree, Greg served as a remarkably effective management consultant for Jaguar and British Heinz as well as an educator on management strategies for many other industries.
Greg expressed his appreciation of worldly affairs with such a good sense of humor that it was always fun to talk with him about current events. He was blessed with a loving, entertaining and inspiring relationship with his wife, the Rev. Robin Mattison, whom he treasured and who supported him unselfishly and unfailingly through several difficult health crises during the last years of his life. Robin is an intellectual tour de force in her own right, and she was a fine match for Greg’s own brilliance. Her grief at his passing is another proof of the persistence of love after death.
Harvey Kaltsas ’69