McHenry veteran’s 20 years in Navy helped feed lifelong love of exploring, learning

When he had shore leave in Hawaii, Japan or Hong Kong during his 20-year U.S. Naval career, John Shaffer wasn’t hitting the bars with his shipmates.“I was curious about everything, and exploring different things,” said the veteran, now 89. “I was not your typical sailor. I would rather go do stuff.”He still finds ways to “do stuff” decades later. A resident of The Courtyard at McHenry for six years, Shaffer puts out a daily newsletter, searching the web to find interesting facts, crossword puzzles and comics to share with the residents.“It keeps my mind active and keeps me doing something,” he said.“John’s story covers 20 years of service, ships on two continents and a view of the horizon that most of us never get to see,” said Jodi Borck, sales and marketing director at The Courtyard. “We hear something new from him every time, and that’s saying something.”A Lima, Ohio, native, Shaffer enlisted in 1955 right out of high school. His four younger brothers followed him, all serving in th