Alumni Stories

By Dana Larkin Sauers '74, P'99, P'03, P'03, P'09

Delone Catholic High School has produced a long line of "high school sweethearts," and Christopher '03 and Meghann (Orndorff) Shaffer '03 were added to that list during their sophomore year when Meghann said "yes" to a homecoming date. Seven years later, in September, they were married. They now share four children: Anastasia (17), C.J. (14), Quinton (11), and Lana (10). 

"Meg and I were married young, 23 for me and 22 for her, and our oldest daughter was born nine months later. Most of our adventures surround daily life. We love to travel and experience new things, but most of our adventures consist of the activities our kids are involved in. Between sports, dance, and band with our children, work, and family time with our immediate and extended families, every day is an adventure. I wouldn’t change anything about the way we’ve done things." To no one's surprise, Chris's finest Delone Catholic memories include spending time with Meghann. 

Their shared adventures include their love of Disney World, which they have visited many times; however, three trips have really stood out for Chris. "We traveled to see the totality of the solar eclipse when it occurred in 2017 and 2024. In 2017, we went to Tennessee, and in 2024, we went to Indiana. Seeing a total solar eclipse is honestly one of the coolest things in the world, and it’s really difficult to put into words...it is wholly unique."

In 2023, the family visited Japan. "It was something I always wanted to do, and it was a wonderful experience," said Chris. A week in Tokyo, a couple of days in Kyoto, and a couple of days in Hiroshima provided the experience he was seeking.

According to Chris, "Meghann has worked for UPMC Hanover for 22 years and has been a registered nurse for 18 years. She completed her associate’s degree in nursing at Penn State Mont Alto in 2007. She has since earned her bachelor’s in nursing at Chamberlain University and is due to complete her master’s in nursing early next year. While she has held several positions in the hospital, she currently works in peri-anesthesia."

When Chris isn't enjoying the wider world, he dedicates himself to service as a lieutenant with the Baltimore County Police Department. He is currently the Shift 2 Commander at the Parkville Precinct: "I have been with the Baltimore County Police for 20 years. I spent the first seven years in patrol at the Franklin Precinct, then eight years with the Crash Team. I was then promoted to corporal and spent the next year and a half at the Pikesville Precinct. I then transferred to the Technology Section, where I spent two-and-a-half years as the department’s Project Coordinator. During that time, I was promoted to sergeant. In December of 2024, I was promoted to lieutenant and transferred to my current assignment." 

"After high school, I spent one year at [the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC)], then joined the police department. Since then, the police department has provided ongoing education as it pertains to police work. Being part of the Crash Team, I have hundreds of hours of training in the field of crash reconstruction. I was also an instructor for crash reconstruction. I taught basic and advanced crash investigation classes, as well as Event Data Recorder analysis and reconstruction. Over my career, there have been many challenging moments. However, the most difficult times were when I was a member of the Crash Team. During my time there, I investigated many fatal crashes involving children, teenagers, adults, and the elderly. While the investigations themselves could be challenging in an intellectual sense, I was also responsible for notifying the family members of the deceased. Telling a loved one about the unexpected passing of their child, sibling, spouse, or parent is never easy," Chris added.

Remembering his high school experiences, Chris said, "When I started at Delone, I had no intention of wrestling. Chris Mummert convinced me to go out for the team freshman year, and I am very glad I did. When I started at Delone, I loved football. Interestingly, I only played football my freshman and sophomore year, then in junior year I stopped to concentrate only on wrestling. I honestly think the reason I loved it so much after my sophomore year was because of John Hefner. He was an amazing coach and an inspiration to me. While I was not the greatest wrestler, I would not have been half of what I was if not for John. Overall, I really enjoyed my time at Delone. I liked all of my teachers, and it was a great time in my life."

"Aside from my wife, whom I met at Delone, I still see one friend regularly, Jason Small. Jason and I have remained close for the past 25 years. We have vacationed together, and he was a groomsman in my wedding. We have spent many long hours under the hood of one vehicle or another together. There are others I see much less frequently. I see John Shadle from time to time, and we also used to meet up with Johnny Hefner once in a while. I also saw Nathaniel Sauers, Jeb Mahone, and Chuck Bologna playing at Something Wicked, Hanover, on the night they closed recently."

"As far as obstacles, I really cannot complain about much. The hardest time would have been when my dad passed away from brain cancer in 2006. While there have been ups and downs, there is really nothing that I would say was an 'obstacle' in the traditional sense. I am very much a 'take things as they come,' adapt, and move on type of person. I do not get worked up about the things I cannot control and just take one step at a time."