Ethel A. Schaffer was born on Jan 26, 1930 to Timothy E. Cox and Ida A. (Miller) Cox. She joined her brother Byron, and was followed fifteen months later by her sister, Neva. Ethel and her sister enjoyed their lives on the ranch - riding horses, taking care of the chickens, whatever they could get themselves into. She attended her first eight years at the Coffee Flats country school, which was over the hill from their home, a ranch that had been homesteaded by their grandfather and passed to their father. This is the current home of the IRAM Wild Horse Sanctuary. When it was time for Ethel to go to high school, she was employed by a woman in town, trading housework for room and board.

Ethel graduated in 1948 from Hot Springs High School, and a week later married the love of her life, L.L. (Buster) Schaffer, whom she had met on a blind date. They were married for 63 years, until Buster died in October of 2010. Ethel worked at various businesses over the years, while raising a daughter, Shary - as a clerk in a drugstore, or in a furniture store, teller in a bank, bookkeeper for her husband's business, then finally as a medical receptionist for Dr. Theodore Jacobsen of Hot Springs. She retired from this job in the early 1980s.

As a family everyone enjoyed camping (but not really "roughing it") and fishing in the Black Hills and at Angostura.

Ethel passed away at Seven Sisters Living Center in Hot Springs on January 1, 2019. Ethel was preceded in death by her husband of 63 years, Buster, her sister in May of 2018, her brother in December of 2018, both parents and all grandparents.

She is survived by her daughter, Shary of Hot Springs, who will miss her mother deeply, and Ethel's special doggy buddy, good boy Riley.

Cremation has occurred, private family services will be held at a later date.

Special thanks to the nursing staff at SSLC and the nurses and staff from Grace of the Pines Hospice Care for the love and care she was given day in and day out.

Arrangements have been placed in the care of Chamberlain McColley's Funeral Home in Hot Springs.