Harry L. Shorter

Harry L. Shorter, Sr., 82, of White Hall, MD, passed away peacefully at his home on March 4, 2019. He was born in Franklin County, VA, son of the late Harry Shorter and the late Pauline Conner Shorter Rakes. He is survived by his beloved wife, Claudia (Meise) Shorter, with whom he celebrated 60 years of marriage in June 2018. He is a United States Army Veteran who served during the Korean War. Also surviving is his son, Harry Jr., husband of Angela (Williams) Shorter and father of Kaitlin Shorter; two daughters, Cindy (Shorter) Blevins, wife of Garry Blevins; and Kim Shorter, wife of Scott Conley; and sister-in-law, Susan (Meise) Hill, wife of Edward Hill and mother of David Hill and Deborah (Hill) Robinson. Harry had a long career as an operations and maintenance supervisor at Black & Decker and Caterpillar, retiring from the latter in 1993. From a young age, his hobbies included “everything bluegrass music” and he was a standup bass player for many years. He was an eminent luthier in the region, making banjos, mandolins, and guitars and repairing every kind of stringed instrument, no matter how tough the job.He dearly loved his dachshunds, enjoyed shooting and camping with his muzzle loader club, watching old westerns, and liked nothing better than to travel to hear bluegrass bands with his wife and friends. A celebration of life will be held on March 23rd at 11:00AM, West Liberty United Methodist Church, 20400 W. Liberty Rd, White Hall, MD, with Pastor Kat Cheyney officiating. A luncheon will immediately follow in the church hall. Harry’s relatives and friends will be playing his favorite bluegrass music, and all are encouraged to share stories, reminisce, and dance- as Harry would have wanted. Contributions may be made in Harry’s memory to West Liberty United Methodist Church.