Riggin Cole Schaffer loved classic American muscle cars and dinosaurs growing up in Powder River County, Montana, and moved to Laramie, Wyoming, to learn automobile collision repair, painting and upholstery at WyoTech.
“He was a good kid,” said one of his coworkers at Snowy Mountain Ski Area, where Schaffer worked as a liftie. The coworker didn’t want to be named without first speaking to Schaffer’s parents.
On Sunday, Schaffer had stopped on Highway 130 between Laramie and Centennial assisting the injured driver of a single-car accident when another driver crashed into the scene, killing Schaffer, according to Schaffer’s obituary with Stevenson & Sons Funeral Homes announcing his service April 4 in his hometown of Broadus.
The Wyoming Highway Patrol confirmed a fatal traffic incident on March 23 in Laramie, but did not have any other details by the time this story was published. That includes whether there are any charges pending in the fatal crash.
Hometown Mourns
Stevenson and Sons Funeral Home in Broadus, population 469, told Cowboy State Daily information for the obituary was provided by a family member.
Growing up in Broadus, in addition to loving dinosaurs — whose fossil remains are found outside of town — Schaffer also loved dragons and pirates.
“His love of dinosaurs led him to want to be a paleontologist until he learned how many years of school that would take,” states the obituary. “His creativity and energy made sitting in a classroom challenging, and he attended high school only so he could wrestle.”
Schaffer placed fifth at the Montana State Wrestling Tournament his senior year, and as the obituary details, Schaffer and his mother Stephanie were close.
“His mom was his biggest fan, and one of his favorite practice partners,” reads the obit. “They spent countless hours perfecting new techniques in the living room. She never missed a match.”
Zest For Life
Schaffer also reportedly looked forward to branding season. His dad and grandfather helped break his colt, taught him to rope, and to be a reliable member of the team.
This year Schaffer looked forward to finally roping off his 5-year-old horse, Bandit, in the branding pen.
In Laramie, Schaffer discovered the thrill of snowboarding.
His family said Schaffer was at Snowy Mountain so often, the ski area finally offered him a job.
At WyoTech, Schaffer discovered his career path, as he planned to eventually open his own restoration shop where he wanted to bring old muscle cars back to life.
“His cars were his pride and joy,” added the obituary, offering more details about how he bought a 1975 Chevy Camaro Z28, with his own savings, to be his project car at school.
The obit concluded with, “Riggin was truly coming into his own.”
David Madison can be reached at david@cowboystatedaily.com.
