Eleanor "Ellie" Shaffer

Ellie Shaffer, 92 years old, died on January 5th, predeceased by husband Martin Dranoff; her identical twin and best friend, Leanore “Lee” Vizer; and her older sister Gerry Seltzer. The daughter of professional musicians, Jeanne Kramer, Ellie’s accompanist, and Martin Kramer, once Cherry Hill’s famed Latin Casino’s conductor, Ellie had a prolific musical career. She received a full scholarship to Temple University, where she earned a B.A. and M.A. in Voice and Choral Conducting.  Her conducting inspiration was Temple University’s legendary Dr. Elaine Brown, founder of Singing City, an all inclusive choir whose incredible sound came from the members’ love of community and for each other. Ellie then created the Singing City affiliate in Atlantic City.  When she moved back to Philly, Ellie also took great pride in working with the Nevillaires, a 30-voice visually impaired choir, in addition to the Ollie Singers, sponsored by Temple University.Ellie’s life spanned many careers, starting at 16, when she sang soprano at professional gigs, including at Brith Israel in Philly. She taught high school music at Holy Spirit High School in Absecon, N.J., as well as the Cherry Hill and Germantown High Schools.  She later studied at Gratz College to become a cantor, holding pulpits at Beth Torah in the Northeast and at Temple Shalom in Levittown. She had touched the lives of many interfaith couples and for 12 years, Ellie officiated at more than 1500 weddings. Ellie was also a tournament deep-sea fisherwoman, a cyclist, an ardent tennis and ping pong player, and an RV aficionado. She is survived by children Linda (Dan) George, of Elkins Park, PA; Richard (Leslie) Steinberg, of Margate, NJ; and Ken (Patti) Steinberg, of Longport, NJ; seven grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren, as well as many nieces and nephews. Donations in her memory can be made to the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project or the Elaine Brown Choir, Temple University Boyer School of Music.