Mark Shafer, maritime executive and yachtsman, dies

Mark L. Shafer, a retired maritime industry executive who also held a commission as a captain in the Navy Reserve, died at his home in San Rafael of heart failure on April 18. Mr. Shafer was 86.

Mr. Shafer, who could trace his lineage in the United States back to 1733, was born in Berwick, Pa., in 1929.

He attended the United States Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, N.Y., and graduated in 1951 with a bachelor’s degree, a license as a mate on commercial ships and a commission in the Navy Reserve.

He sailed as a deck officer on merchant ships in the Atlantic, and then was called to sea duty in the Navy during the Korean War. He was recalled to duty during the Vietnam War and later retired with the rank of captain.

In his commercial maritime career, Mr. Shafer worked for Pacific Far East Line in executive positions in San Francisco, Honolulu and Asia. While living in Japan, he earned a master’s degree in business administration at Sophia University in Tokyo. He later worked as a senior vice president for Matson Navigation Co. in San Francisco.

Mr. Shafer was an ardent yachtsman on San Francisco Bay and was a longtime member and commodore of the Sausalito Yacht Club. He was also a member of the board of directors of the National Liberty Ship Memorial, which owns and operates the World War II ship Jeremiah O’Brien in San Francisco. He was active in many other organizations, including the Masons, the American Legion and the Navy League.

He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Dulce Shafer of San Rafael; three children, Carol Wesely of Beaverton, Ore., Deborah Shafer of San Rafael and Charles Shafer of American Canyon; a brother, Phaon Shafer of Pennsylvania; five grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. May 5 at the Marin Masonic Lodge in San Rafael.