Remembering Cody Shafer

Students traveled Feb. 15 to say goodbye to a fellow classmate and friend.

Services for Cody Shafer, a cell and molecular biology sophomore and member of the men’s rowing team, were Feb. 15 at Floral Haven funeral home in Broken Arrow, Okla.

University officials also plan to host a memorial service on campus for Shafer. The details of the on-campus service have not yet been finalized.

Shafer was born Nov. 3, 1995 in Tulsa, Okla., to Terry and Elizabeth Shafer. He was the younger brother to Tarabeth Shafer. He died Feb. 11 in Tulsa.

Shafer attended Union Public Schools, graduating from there in 2014. He was an accomplished athlete. In his younger years he enjoyed playing baseball, basketball, swimming, and soccer, and eventually found his niche in football. Shafer played football until he suffered a back injury in 2010 and was told he could no longer play. That’s when Shafer began swimming again and eventually started rowing. As a rower, Shafer went to nationals, was a nationally-ranked youth rower and attended OCU on a rowing scholarship.

Shafer was named to the Fall 2014 Athletic Director’s list for academic achievement.

Aside from rowing, Shafer enjoyed traveling, playing Air Soft, bicycling, long boarding, building with LEGOs, building Sims cities, and playing video games with his friends.

He is survived by his parents and sister, maternal grandmother, Heidi Choney; Aunt Debbie and James Howard of Ardmore, Okla.; Aunt Jan Sartor of Tulsa, Okla.; Uncle Mark Choney and Janna Choney of Ponca City, Okla.; Uncle Chris Choney of Ponca City, and many cousins: Jimmie Kennedy, Ashley, Brian, and Jeremy Simmons, Eagle Choney, Markyla Choney, Marc Anthony Choney, Christopher Choney, Gracie Choney, and Audrey Choney. He was preceded in death by his paternal grandparents, Wayne and Ola Shafer; his maternal grandfather, Errol Choney, and his wife, Jolene Choney.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Tulsa Youth Rowing Association to help re-build their boat house after a fire last month, to the Suicide Prevention Foundation, or To Write Love On Her Arms, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping people struggling with depression, addiction, self-harm, and suicide.

Visit Floral Haven to send flowers or a memorial gift to the family.