Juanita Geneva Shafer

Juanita Geneva Shafer was born in Tucumcari, New Mexico October 7th, 1931. She was the second child of six born to John and Geneva McDonald. She moved to her eternal home February 6, 2026.

After her birth the family returned to northwest Arkansas where she began school. They lived in several California towns as her father followed farming work. From Burney in Shasta County, California her family sent her to live with friends in Ashland, Oregon for high school. She attended Ashland Church of Christ, and on her way to church summer camp in 1946 she met (Richard) Lee Shafer, her eventual husband.

A few months later at age 14, her family of eight drove 3,500 miles from Burney, California to Alaska, one of the first civilian vehicles to travel the Alaska Highway. The family settled between Palmer and Wasilla in a Colony homestead that included a log house and barn. The young man she had met at church camp came to Alaska several times to work and visit Juanita. They were married June 30, 1949 in Anchorage and left Alaska where they both attended San Jose Bible College, now Jessup University.

Juanita and her husband raised four children in Klamath Falls, Oregon while Lee was minister at Shasta Way Christian Church for 33 years. She grew a garden, canned fresh fruit and vegetables, raised chickens, had a milk cow, could process a deer and was head cook many summers at church camp.

Lee and Juanita moved to Newberg, Oregon in 1988 when Lee began as minister at Newberg Christian Church and remained there in retirement. They were world travelers, visiting missionaries in Korea, Kenya, Taiwan, Thailand and Australia, and children and grandchildren in New York, Colorado and Missouri.

Juanita moved to Regency Park Memory Care in Portland in 2023. She found great joy when her church family from Northwest Christian Church and family visited her. She was perhaps the only memory care resident to have a phone. Juanita loved to both receive and place calls to and from her brothers and children as well as hear from friends. She was never one to complain about aging and always had a smile on her face.

Juanita’s life was the personification of the Biblical admonition to “Be doers of the word, and not hearers only.” She made true friends of the poor, not only those who could reciprocate.

She is survived by her brothers Elmer McDonald and Lewis McDonald and sister Sara Her descendants left to follow her example are children Douglas Shafer (Wanda), Leta Reti (Tom), Randy Shafer (Stacia), Mark Shafer (Kelly); grandchildren Philip Shafer, Joel Shafer, Jeffrey Shafer (Lauren), Davis Shafer (Michaela), Matt Monaghan, Nick Reti, Eliza Kingsford (Tom), Allison Lampert (Ben), Nathan Shafer (JaNae), Ryan Shafer (Elena), Amina Snoderly (Mourad) and David Snoderly; and 10 great grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her husband Lee Shafer and her brothers Roger, Raymond, and Wayne McDonald.

To honor a life well lived and well loved, there will be a memorial service:

Monday, March 30, 2026

1:00 pm

Newberg Christian Church

2315 Villa Road

Newberg, Oregon 97132

In lieu of flowers, donations in Juanita’s memory may be made to:

Geon Christian Christian Children’s Home

https://www.Kcgm.org

Northwest Christian Church Newberg Campus

https://www.NWCC.org

Jessup University

Https://Jessup.edu