3/3/1947 – 5/3/2025
Lawrence
David A. Shufelt, 78, Lawrence, Kansas, passed away on Sunday, May 3, 2025, surrounded by his family.
He was born March 3, 1947, in Kansas City, Missouri. He attended Coffeyville Community College on a basketball scholarship and graduated in 1967, where he met his wife Connee of 57 years. After graduating from Pittsburg State University in 1969, he earned his Juris Doctor with Honors from Washburn University in 1973, clerking for the Supreme Court of the State of Kansas.
After working on his family’s dairy farm, David practiced law for over 40 years, most recently as an Administrative Judge in Workers Compensation for the State of Kansas. In his spare time, he read voraciously, played guitar and sang (if you can call it that?), and enjoyed traveling to see his children and grandchildren. In his later years, he taught himself to sail, enjoying many hours on the “high seas” of Clinton Lake.
David was preceded in death by his parents, Robert Shufelt and Eula Hall Shufelt, and his sister Helen Trahern. He is survived by his wife, Connee; his children, Jeff Shufelt (and wife Stacey Jacobs), Rob Shufelt (and wife Becky), and Kate Hannings (and husband Morgan); his sisters, Mary Mahon, Barbara Buzard, and Leslie McConnell; and his grandchildren, Evan, Grant, Chloe, and Skyler. He will be missed by all who knew him, for his kindness, sense of humor, and his easy grin.
In accordance with his wishes, he will be cremated, and no services will be held. Donations in his memory may be made to the Douglas County Visiting Nurses Association (kansasvna.org/donate). To leave a message for David’s family, visit www.Rumsey-Yost.com.
Note: The Lawrence Times is offering Lawrence and Douglas County community members space to publish remembrances of loved ones who lived in this community, free of charge. These pieces are submitted by family and friends of the deceased and not written by our staff. Photos are also provided to the publication, and some may have been altered prior to submission. Read more obituaries here.
We are honored to be able to offer this service free to community members in mourning. We believe the last thing our neighbors need in those difficult moments is another financial matter to worry about. Please support the Times to help us continue providing this service — and news access — for all.
To submit an obituary to The Lawrence Times, please fill out the form at this link. We’re sorry, but we cannot accept obituary submissions via email or other means.
Receive obituaries via email
As of May 2026, we are launching a newsletter that will include obituaries only. Obituaries will no longer appear in our daily emails. You can sign up below to receive any and all of our emails. If you already receive our daily, weekly and/or occasional emails and you want to keep receiving them, please check those boxes as well.
Please make sure you click on the button that says “Yes, subscribe me to this list” in the email you receive or you will not receive future emails. That extra step is to protect you and make sure you’re not getting emails you don’t want.
