Delmer "Lee" Shoffit

Delmer "Lee" Shoffit, 93, of Taneyville.

Lee passed away at home, surrounded by his loving family, Wednesday, July 13, 2022. He was born May 21, 1929, in Clarendon, Texas, the son of Henry Johnson Shoffit and Edna Irene (Russell) Shoffit.

He served in the United States Army for six years. When he was in South Korea, his mother was unable to reach his brother’s unit in North Korea at Heartbreak Ridge. Lee hitchhiked from South Korea to North Korea to find his brother had been killed in action. He escorted his brother’s body home despite suffering serious injuries himself. He was 21 years old at the time.

In his early career, he served as Warehouse Manager for World Gift Company in Dallas, Texas, and Warehouse Manager of the Manufacturing Division of Mary Kay Cosmetics in Dallas, Texas.

In 1977, he moved his family to Forsyth, Missouri, and purchased the White Swan Court.

In 1978, he joined the Forsyth Police Department and served as a patrolman for two years. In 1980, he was promoted to Chief of Police, a position from which he retired in 1990.

During his retirement, he and his wife loved to travel. They frequently took their grandchildren, Jared and Jessica, on trips in their motorhome. They traveled to nearly 40 states, Canada, and Mexico. They enjoyed traveling with their Winnebago-Itasca Motorhome Club and the Gold Wing Road Riders Association. They also cruised to Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.

He was preceded in death by his father, Henry Johnson Shoffit, and his mother, Edna Irene (Russell) Auldridge; his brothers Alfred Walter (A.W.) and Charles; his sister Ijuana; and his mother-in-law, Eva May Brown.

He leaves behind his loving wife of 66 years, Julie; his daughter Connie and husband, Jon (Mark) Haworth; his grandson, Jared and wife Raven, and his great-granddaughter, Tillana; his granddaughter, Jessica; and his sister-in-law, Debra (Debbie) Brown Jarvis.

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