Longtime Grady mayor dies at 81

GRADY — Wesley Shafer, Grady's longtime mayor, died Aug. 29 at the age of 81.

"Mayor Shafer was a dedicated and supportive leader in the Village of Grady, who was extremely knowledgeable in municipal government," the village stated in a news release. "As an integral and active part of our community, he will be sorely missed."

Services were held Thursday at Grady Baptist Church. He was buried in San Jon Cemetery.

Shafer was born April 21, 1940, in Tucumcari and grew up in the San Jon area. He worked for Farmers' Electric, and after his 1998 retirement, he conducted farm and ranch surveys for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Shafer had spent 23 years as the village's mayor and another eight as a village councilor.

Mayoral duties immediately fell to Mayor Pro Tem Jimmy Schell. The council is tasked to select a replacement who would serve the remainder of the term.

Shafer ran for his sixth term in March 2018, defeating Kodie Weese 29-6.

At the time, Shafer told The News he'd like to have the job for four more years to see out some projects.

"As small as Grady is," Shafer said, "there's not a whole lot to do, but we're working with wind farms and different things."

The mayoral term was originally supposed to run through March 2022, but was extended to run through 2023 by the Secretary of State's Office when Grady municipal elections were put onto the general election ballots for odd-numbered years.

Survivors include two daughters, Vicky Haggerton of Carlsbad and Tresa (Stuard) Pond of Grady, along with one brother, four sisters, three grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife, Eddie Rae, and parents Joe and Ina.