Lillian Ruth Long Shaffer Wallace, 86, died on Sunday, July 12, 2026, at St Andrews Village in Indiana, PA.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Orville and Ruth (Gillin) Long; her first husband, Kenneth Murray Shaffer; and her siblings, Orville Wayne Long, Jacksonville, FL; Lois Orris, Brookville, PA; James R. Long, Brookville, PA; and Thomasine Houser, Blairsville, PA.
She is survived by her husband, Rev. Ronald Wallace, son, Kenneth Shaffer and his wife, Michele Danoff, as well as by her step-daughter and son-in-law Cynthia (Wallace) and Diego Cuartas, her step-son, David Wallace, her step-daughter, and son-in-law, Judith (Wallace) and Steven Gough, her step-son and daughter-in-law, Daniel and Kyle (McMahan) Wallace, as well as by five grandchildren, Tabatha (Martinez) Green, Alexander Gough, Juliette Gough, Kelsey Wallace, and Avery Wallace. She is also survived by her sister, Mildred Monroe, by her brother, Theodore Long, numerous nieces and nephews, and by many cousins–including her cousin and life-long friend, Avonelle McMinn.
She was born on January 28, 1940, in Johnstown, PA. After graduating from Ferndale High School, she attended Indiana State College (now IUP), where she earned a degree in Education. She taught elementary school for 32 years, teaching briefly in Elderton and Blairsville before taking a teaching position in the Homer Center School District, where she taught until her retirement.
She married Kenneth Shaffer in 1961, and her son, Kenneth, was born on December 24, 1965. The family lived in Coral, PA. Her first husband died in February 1992. In 1994, she married Ronald Wallace, and they lived in Coral, PA, until 2016, when they moved to St. Andrew’s Village in Indiana, PA. They were married for 32 years.
She loved teaching and enjoyed mentoring many student teachers. She especially enjoyed teaching first grade and teaching hundreds of children to read.
In retirement, she enjoyed playing with her grandchildren, attending church functions, lunching with a group of ladies, and playing dominoes and cards with family and friends. She was happily surprised, even in her later years, to run into many of her former students who remembered her fondly.
A visitation will be held from 10:00 to 11:00 am on Saturday, July 18, 2026, at the Christian and Missionary Alliance Church in Homer City, PA, with a funeral service at 11:00 am and burial at the Coral Lutheran Cemetery immediately following the service.
