CLARION, Pa. (EYT) — Clarion County Coroner Terry Shaffer thinks it’s time to go and will not be a candidate for a fourth term as coroner in this year’s primary election.
“Maybe it’s my age (73), and I think I’ve had enough,” said Shaffer of his last 12 years.
Shaffer brought a career of 30 years as a State Police Trooper to the job of coroner when he was elected.
“I was in a crime unit for 25 years and fire marshal, and I investigated all of the deaths as a state trooper…suicides, homicides, natural deaths,” said Shaffer. “It just fell into place for me to do this job.”
Even with his extensive experience as a state trooper, Shaffer continued training with schooling provided each year by the Pennsylvania Coroners’ Association.
“There’s not a big contrast between the two jobs, but back then with the police, you just let the coroner do his job, and you left and finished your investigation,” said Shaffer.
“Now, as coroner, you have to pick the body up and see that it gets to a funeral home. That’s a bigger job than what the state police investigator job was, and there were always extra police available in an emergency.”
While Shaffer said he has met a lot of nice people as coroner, including EMTs, doctors, and other medical personnel, “dealing with deaths is not the nicest thing.”
Not much has changed in the corner’s office since Shaffer started 11 years ago, Dealing with bodies and investigating are about the same — but increased paperwork has raised its ugly head.
“The reporting required with all of the drug scene going on now, there’s just so much paperwork. And, now they’re going to an electronic filing of death certificates, and that will be an all-new thing for me. Some coroners and medical examiners in the state have already done it. I hope I get out the door before it starts.”
One change during Shaffer’s years as coroner has been the increase in drug-related deaths.
“There’s more and more of them (deaths due to drugs). Our county is getting hit, but not as bad as Armstrong or Allegheny and some of the neighboring counties. Even Franklin’s getting hit hard. We’re getting a few but not like some of them.”
In addition to the normal procedure for natural deaths, drug deaths often involve autopsies, a practice Shaffer has avoided in the past unless it is necessary to the investigation of the cause of death.
“Mark Aaron, the DA, likes to have them autopsied,” said Shaffer. “I’d rather just do blood work. Allegheny County autopsies all of their drug cases. If it comes to that, it runs the costs up for the county.”
Clarion County pays to have autopsies done by the Erie County Coroner through an existing contract.
“If you’ve seen a body that’s been autopsied, it’s not pretty. It makes the work of the funeral directors harder. Most of the ones I’ve seen do a good job, but I wouldn’t want it done to me or my family. When you’re deceased, you don’t have a choice.”
Shaffer was criticized during the last election for the way he transports the deceased, but he quickly dismisses the allegations as false.
“That came from another funeral director outside of Clarion that was just out to make a stink. I never threw a body into the back of my pickup like a dead deer, and that’s the way complaints were getting back to me from a family member. It’s totally ridiculous and a lie.”
Shaffer has an office in his home and the Clarion County Morgue is located at the Clarion County Human Service Building (old Clarion Hospital) on Seventh Avenue. Although it is a one-person job, he is allowed to retain a deputy controller.
“I have a good deputy coroner in Randall Stom,” said Shaffer. “He’s running for coroner in my absence, and he’ll make a good coroner. Randall’s been my chief deputy for a number of years now, and he’s both intelligent and courteous to people and has a good job and he’s well liked.”
