Weber State University adjunct English teacher and Weber State College alumnus Edward Schaffer, 74, died this weekend.

According to Kathleen Herndon, WSU department of English chair and professor, Schaffer had been ill for a while and had been seeing many doctors to determine the cause of his illness. The cause of death was not immediately available.

Schaffer, an Ogden native, received an Associate of Science from Weber State College in 1958 and a Bachelor of Science in music education and English in 1965. He received a Reading Specialist Certificate from the University of Utah in 1972, a Master of Elementary Education from Utah State University in 1980, and an Administrative Supervisory Endorsement from USU in 1983.

Schaffer began teaching at WSU in 1987. Over the years, he taught both English 1010 and English 2010.

According to Herndon, Schaffer served an LDS mission in Holland as a young man and, in recent years, served an 18-month mission with his wife in South America. Schaffer also served in the military as an officer in the Korean War.

“He was especially sensitive to the needs of veterans, and so there were times when someone would get here to the university and maybe they’d missed a couple of days of class, and it’s very difficult to add classes even in the first week in English because they’re so demanding and so full,” Herndon said. “He would always be willing to work with veterans, and so if anybody had a problem or difficulty, he would always be willing to take them.”

Schaffer is survived by his wife Anita, two daughters and one son.