Robert and Sonja Shavor, loved animals
Robert Peter Shavor, 83, of Lewes passed away Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021, at Brandywine Senior Living in Rehoboth Beach, surrounded by his wife, son, daughter and son-in-law. He was born Jan. 25, 1938, in Homestead, Pa., son of the late Peter and Anna (Garrigan) Shavor. Just a few weeks later, his beloved wife of 62 years, Sonja Herta (Killian) Shavor, 84, passed away Sunday, Dec. 19, at home, surrounded by her daughter and son-in-law. She was born Nov. 30, 1937, in Amsterdam, Netherlands, but she was raised in Lahnstein, Germany (in the beautiful Rhine River Valley), daughter of the late Albert Killian and Petronella (Koenig) Killian.
Mr. Shavor was a graduate of Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pa. After his graduation from college, their love story started in 1959 when they met at a dance in Miami, Fla., and married only five days later. It seems fitting that they would pass away within a short time of each other as well. They began their life together and raised their family in Harrisburg, Pa.
Throughout his lifetime, Mr. Shavor held several political offices in local government and once served as Paxtang Borough’s mayor in the mid-1970s. He was a longtime member of the Paxtang Lions Club. They were both retired employees from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. They remained in Harrisburg until November 2018 when they moved to Lewes to be with their daughter and son-in-law.
In addition to their parents, Mrs. Shavor was preceded in death by her stepmother, Elisabeth (Ody) Killian; and her brother Rudolf Killian. Mr. Shavor was also preceded in death by his sister Patricia (Shavor) Basic. Mr. and Mrs. Shavor are survived by their children: Karen Troup (Barry) of Lewes, and Todd Shavor of Henderson, Nevada; their grandchildren: Nicholas Payton (Allison) of Mt. Laurel, N.J., Alexandra Pensiero, Jenna Shavor of Tampa, Fla., Sydney Shavor of Henderson, Patrick Hutton of Henderson, and Meghan Long (Matthew) of Las Vegas, Nevada; their great-grandchildren: Brandon Payton and Jordan Payton of Mt. Laurel, and Emilia Pensiero and Morgan Pensiero of Westampton. They are also survived by their beloved niece, Gabriele Baynham (James) of Mechanicsburg, Pa.
As they both loved animals, in lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions to the Brandywine Valley SPCA, bvspca.org/donate, in their honor.
Final care of Mr. and Mrs. Shavor has been entrusted to Parsell Funeral Homes and Crematorium, Atkins -Lodge Chapel, Lewes. A private Celebration of Life will be held at a later date.
Visit Mr. and Mrs. Shavor's Life Memorial webpage and sign their virtual guestbook at parsellfuneralhomes.com.
