Darrel Thomas Shaw, Jr

With profound sadness, we announce the passing of our dear friend, father, sibling and fellow patriot, Darrel Thomas Shaw Jr, who left us on October 7, 2024, at 11:05 p.m. A true Renaissance man, Darrel's life was marked by his passions for family, friends, politics, scouting, firearms, and amateur radio.

Born in 1949 to Dr. Darrel T. Shaw and Elizabeth Penn Shaw Palmquist, Darrel grew up in Cleveland and Shaker Heights, Ohio, and he lived over 40 years in Hudson and most recently in Stow, Ohio. He graduated from Cleveland State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration in 1974. He was married to Jane Curtis for 30 years and remained in touch with her after their divorce in 2003.

He is survived by his two children, Darrel Thomas Shaw lll, and daughter, Dr. Gillian Curtis Shaw; four of his sisters Susan Shaw Palmer, Priscilla McKinney, Julia Shaw and Courtney Ann Shaw; one brother William Blair Shaw; fourteen nieces and nephews and two grandchildren Evelyn and Scarlett Shaw. He stayed in regular contact with his siblings. He was thrilled to attend Darrel III's recent wedding to Dr. Aphrodite Papadakis. His parents, his older brother Dr. Thomas Eades Shaw, one sister Linda Shaw Davies, and a niece Sarah Elizabeth Brack predeceased him.

Darrel's love for working with his hands included electrical work, auto mechanics, carpentry and plumbing. His ability to create and fix things was legendary. He worked at Seitz Agin Hardware during high school and college. After working at Dingle Security for several years, he founded his own alarm system business, Summit Diversified Systems, in 1991. Summit was taken over by his son Darrel Thomas Shaw lll in 2016. Darrel's dedication to the security industry earned him recognition as an instructor for the National Burglar & Fire Alarm Association and treasurer and president of the Ohio Burglar & Fire Alarm Association at various times.

A lifelong enthusiast of firearms, Darrel was involved with the National Rifle Association (NRA) and Friends of the NRA (FNRA) for decades. His passion for guns extended beyond politics, as he had a wealth of knowledge about their history, varieties, and mechanics. Darrel enjoyed and excelled at competitive shooting. He also taught gun safety and shooting to countless boys in the Boy Scouts. His dedication to gun education and skills manifested in his instrumental role in building and maintaining a shooting and archery range at Camp Manatoc, the local boy scout camp. He was successful and enjoyed raising funds for firearm education through the FNRA.

When his children were younger, he was heavily involved with the boy scouts as a committee chairman of Troop 333 in Hudson for about 10 years and enjoyed mentoring boys and young men. His son, Darrel III, earned his Eagle Scout award in 1995. Gillian was a girl scout and eventually an Explorer scout. Both Darrel III & Gillian went on many adventures with their respective scout groups. His daughter, Dr. Gillian C Shaw now works as a veterinary ocular pathologist at the University of Wisconsin, in Madison, WI.

Recently, Darrel had a renewed interest in his boyhood hobby of Amateur Radio (callsign KE8UKY), erecting tall antennas in his backyard, attending swap meets, and collecting historical radios in dire need of TLC. He also relished bi-weekly Zoom meetings with his Shaker Heights High School friends, periodic high school reunions and renewing friendships with high school classmates.

As we bid farewell to our dear friend, we remember his warm smile, quick wit, wry sense of humor, interest in politics, willingness to help those in need in any way he could and unwavering dedication to his family, community, and causes close to his heart. Darrel's legacy will live on through the countless lives he touched, including those of his children, grandchildren, siblings, and friends.

A celebration of life will be held in mid-November 2024 (date and location to be determined), followed by interment of his ashes at Western Reserve Memorial Gardens in Chesterland, Ohio. In lieu of flowers, contributions to Darrel's favorite causes are honored, which include the Friends of the NRA (https://www.friendsofnra.org/get-involved/donate/), the National Association for Amateur Radio (https://home.arrl.org/action/Donate) or the Summit County Humane Society (https://summithumane.org/).

Rest in peace, dear friend and father. Your memory will forever be cherished.