Beverly Shaffer Gast
Beverly Jean Shaffer Gast was born June 16, 1927 in Altoona, PA and resided at The Hill in Layfette Hill, PA. Beverly passed away on May 12, 2023 leaving behind a legacy of service, sacrifice, joy, philanthropy, and most of all, love.
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Beverly lived a beautiful and impactful life directly and indirectly caring for so many people. Her huge heart and a willingness to connect with others were evident every day in her life. In her own words, she wanted to be remembered “as a woman who wanted to live with meaning, with love, forgiveness and blessing, grateful to God for His Son Jesus Christ.”
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After high school, she attended Wheaton College and entered the teaching field. As her children grew older and were preparing to head to college and work, she returned to her roots as an educator and completed her Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education at Arcadia (Beaver) University. She then launched a new pre-school, refurbishing a former elementary school into The Schoolhouse in Flourtown which continues in operation today.
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She turned problems into friendship opportunities. Beverly was deeply passionate about service to her community. It is the intent of the fund to remind family, friends, and community members of the lasting impact of Beverly’s life, to support the causes that she supported, and as an encouragement to all to find opportunities of service in any sphere of our personal influence and at any stage of life.
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"I want to be remembered as a woman who wanted to live with love, forgiveness, and blessing, grateful to God for his son, Jesus Christ."
Beverly's Book: Angel in Black
At a time when opportunities were closed to women and orchestral venues boasted signs, "Only Men Need Apply", Elaine Shaffer's extraordinary talent and perseverance forged a career that would lead her to soaring heights. Angel in Black, as written by her sister Beverly Shaffer Gast, tells the true story of how Shaffer became the first female concert flutist in the world. Shaffer's life journey, preserved in countless personal letters, press reviews, and recordings, reveals the many facets of her impossible dream. Gast details how, as an eleven-year-old girl, Elaine walked into a music shop and requested a harmonica that "played sharps and flats".
And so began a lifelong passion for music that included learning the violin, cello, timpani, and, finally, the flute. At eighteen, self-taught on the flute, Elaine auditioned for a renowned flutist and was awarded a scholarship to a prestigious music school. Her subsequent dazzling career took her across the globe for solo performances that left audiences spellbound. Angel in Black unfolds the incredible story of how one woman overcame grueling challenges to fulfill the life of her dreams-performing the kind of music that transported her listeners to a beautiful place.
