Richard C. Shaw

1933 - 2021

Richard C. Shaw
Richard Charles Shaw, 88, of Caseville, passed away Saturday, November 6, 2021, at home under hospice care.
Richard was born February 4, 1933, in Flint to the late Walter and Lena (Koch) Shaw. In 1951, he graduated from Northern High School in Flint and entered the US Army, serving in Korea. On April 21, 1962, he married Shirley Westervelt at Woodside Church in Flint. He was employed by AC Sparkplug as a machinist until retiring in 1983.
Following his retirement, they moved to Belleview, Florida and for 13 years they spent the winter months there and summers in Caseville. They eventually returned to Michigan full-time and built a home on Beadle Island. They joined Pigeon First United Methodist Church where Richard served as an usher and as a member of the Board of Trustees. He sang and told jokes with a group called ACT III in several nursing homes in Pigeon and Bad Axe.
Dearly remembered by his family for his wry sense of humor and ability to send them home 10lbs heavier after even just an afternoon visit, Richard was a late-in-life artist, a recently ennobled Scottish Lord, and fan of Johnny Cash. He was a collector - from Hess trucks to international keepsakes to magazine clippings that made him laugh - and a connoisseur of electronics. He could be relied upon to have always recorded something meaningful for his family members, sending VHS tapes to his grandchildren and recording every musical feature PBS had ever covered so Shirley could be sure to catch the show. He was never afraid of new technology and insisted on trying all the newest TV gadgets. Richard loved learning about the world and made sure his family explored it by taking them on summer road trips and international vacations to Europe. And while his own eating habits were eclectic by his family's standards - they never did understand his love for liver and onions - he will be remembered for his biscuits and gravy, pancakes, waffles, chicken and dumplings, and the slightly risqué cookies he made for the Red Hat Society meetings. Richard always remembered something special about each of the people in his life and could be relied upon to engage in conversation about that topic whenever they visited. It resulted in raucous debates with his son-in-law, the acquisition of bagpipes for one grandson, and chats about cars for another. In the sharing of family history with his granddaughter, and a cold beer under the shade of the trees with his eldest daughter. And in the adoption of singing with his wife, sharing a love of evening TV shows with his youngest daughter, and gentle patience and loving teasing with his youngest grandson. Richard, when he wasn't in the middle of making donuts or some other culinary delight, could reliably be found in one of the lawn chairs scattered about his home, patiently watering a section of the lawn and taking in the day. He took the world as it came to him, with a sly smile and a bit of mischief to him, and the place is a bit duller without him in it - which his family thinks would annoy him greatly.
Richard is survived by his wife Shirley; daughters Karilynn Shaw and Kelly (Leo) Brancheau; grandchildren Nicole (Charlie) Parish, Jacob (Sarah) Brancheau, Ben Molter, and Alec Molter; and 2 great-grandsons. He was preceded in death by his sister Darlene (Shaw) Nichols and cousin Donna Blades.
A memorial service will be 11:00 am Saturday, November 20th at Pigeon First United Methodist Church with Rev. Cindy Gibbs officiating.
The family requests memorials be made to Seasons Change Home Health Care and Hospice, 8201 Port Austin Rd. Pigeon, MI 48755 or Pigeon First United Methodist Church, PO Box 377, 7102 Michigan Ave., Pigeon, MI 48755. www.ChampagneFuneralChapel.com