Dena Schaffer Obituary

Dena L. (Wilmoth) Schaffer, 91, Tonganoxie, KS, passed away Monday June 30, 2025, at the Healthcare Resort of Kansas City.
Dena was born on November 2, 1933, in Kansas City, KS, the daughter of Louis and Frances (Langford) Wilmoth. She was married and enjoyed almost 35 years of marriage, before her husband Vernon passed away in 1987. She missed him dearly.
During the early years of her marriage, she stayed at home, as a wife and mother. Once her children were of school age, she began a 20+ year career as a Library Assistant at several locations in the Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools from 1969 to 1991.
In 1991, she retired to Shell Knob, Missouri where she enjoyed the quiet of the community and made countless friends. She loved visits from her kids and grandkids. She had the most beautiful, quaint cabin right along the water. To keep busy on her days when she didn't have family visiting, she assisted with the upkeep of a beautiful bed and breakfast (Arsenic and Old Lace) in Eureka Springs, AR.
In the late 90's, Dena moved to Arizona to escape the harsh winters of the Midwest and within two years, two of her daughters followed suit. She enjoyed several great years in Arizona, but in 2003, she suffered an aneurysm but amazingly made a full recovery. In 2005, she moved back to Kansas, still staying close to two of her fivechildren. For the better part of the next 20 years, she enjoyed reading, shopping, scrapbooking, and had an amazing collection of teacups and bells. She also volunteered at her church and never passed up a chance to put on bright lipstick and nail polish to head out for a day on the plaza! She loved cappuccinos and you would often find her at the Starbucks inside Target in the early morning hours. Even more, she really enjoyed great food and loved a good glass (or two) of wine!
She lived independently into her late 80's. She was an avid walker and loved to swim when she was able. In 2021, she suffered a minor stroke that left her left leg partially disabled, and she moved into Vintage Park in Tonganoxie. She worked hard and with the help of a walker, she was able to get around. Unfortunately, in 2022, a break on the right leg, left her wheelchair bound. While she did work hard with her physical therapists, she was never able to fully walk again and was moved to Healthcare Resort of Kansas City. Although her health continued to decline, and dementia set in, she enjoyed her time there. As her dementia progressed, she sometimes thought she was living in the library and needed someplace to work. The staff at Healthcare Resort set up a special desk where Dena could work. She even made their wall of fame! Mostly, she did crossword puzzles or word searches, and also really enjoyed adult coloring books. If she didn't think she was in the library, she sometimes thought she was in a casino in Las Vegas. She was never short on stories about her family, whether it was about her days as a girl, while her Mom was a seamstress, making hats on the plaza, or her time on the farm with the Wilmoth family, or any number of stories about her children and grandchildren. She loved her family fiercely!
Dena Lou lived an amazingly, full, and beautiful life. She touched countless people and gave us so many wonderful memories to hold on to. We will miss her dearly, but know that she's been reunited with her husband, and is in the arms of her Lord and Savior.
Survivors include four daughters, Marsha (Nick) Calovich, Tonganoxie, Judy (Kenny) Powell, Kimberling City, MO, Karen Cromwell (Richard) Villegas, Huntington Beach, CA, Elizabeth (Jeff) Bergman, Lake Havasu, AZ and one son, John (Tracey) Schaffer, Tonganoxie, KS, 20 grandchildren, 43 great grandchildren, 6 great, great grandchildren and countless nieces and nephews. For the Schaffer family, (even though married into, and not by blood), she's the last of her generation. Oh, what a reunion that is!
She was preceded in death by her husband, Vernon Schaffer, her parents, Louis and Frances (Langford) Wilmoth and a son-in-law, Kevin (Karen) Cromwell, and her beloved cousin, Shirley Langford.
Funeral service will be 11:30 a.m. Monday July 7, 2025, at Quisenberry Funeral Home, Tonganoxie, KS. The family will receive friends and visitors from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., one hour prior to the service. Burial will be in Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens, Kansas City, KS.
The family suggests memorial donations in her name to the Tonganoxie United Methodist Church.
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