Alzora R Shaff
Obituary

Alzora “Alli” Shaff, lovingly known as Snooks or Snookie, passed away peacefully of natural causes on September 17, 2025, in Corona, California. She was born on July 24, 1938, in Springfield, Ohio.

Alli lived a life filled with love, laughter, and adventure. She had a quiet and kind disposition and always carried a smile for everyone she met. She loved to travel and was blessed to share many trips with her beloved husband Jack. Together they journeyed to England and Scotland three times to honor her family’s roots, and on one of those trips, their youngest daughter Wendy joined them.  Alli and her husband also traveled to the Galapagos Islands. 

Alli also loved music and dancing. She studied voice with gifted vocal coaches and members of the Lawrence Welk Show, and she once shared a Polka dance with Lawrence Welk himself. Her love for plants and flowers also brightened every space she touched, and her love of cats, dogs and horses was most evident.

Alli worked hard and took great pride in her career. After graduating at the top of her class from Pacific Travel School, she worked with several travel agencies before joining Amtrak. She dedicated 15 years there before retiring.

Her accomplishments included childhood drama lessons with silent film actor Henry Otto and meeting Walt Disney at the age of seven when she auditioned for Song of the South. She declined the role, but the experience remained a proud memory. More than anything else, Alli treasured her family. Although she was an only child, she became the proud matriarch of five children, 16 grandchildren, 25 great-grandchildren, and three great-great-grandchildren.

She is survived by her children, Jeanne and Richard Hood, Deanna Gentry, Susan and Don Wakeling, John and Lisa Shaff, and Wendy Carter. She was preceded in death by her parents Robert (Bob) and Alzora (Zoe/Tootie) Cormack, and her husband of 44 years, John (Jack) P. Shaff, Jr. For the last eleven years, Alli lived with Sue and Don in Corona, where she was surrounded by care and love.

A memorial service will be held on October 17, 2025, at 1:00 p.m. at Magnolia Presbyterian Church in Riverside, California, where family and friends will gather to celebrate her remarkable life.

Alli will be remembered as a devoted mother, grandmother, and matriarch. Her legacy of love and kindness lives on in the generations she leaves behind.