"Mr. Shaw was one of the nicest teachers our son, Spencer, ever had. He was definitely a mentor for him. Spencer learned so much by being in his class and on job sites. Mr. Shaw was so special to our family. We would visit with him whenever we were at school and catch up on things. He was so very proud of his family and would talk about you all so fondly. He was the definition of a truly good man. He will be remembered for so many things, but we will remember him for making a true difference in our sons life. I know he did that for so many kids over the years. He will be profoundly missed. Our deepest sympathy goes out to your family. Dave, Patti, Spencer, & Cooper Smith"
In loving memory of
WILLIAM JOSEPH SHAW
April 10, 1951 - August 13, 2019
Bill Shaw, 68 years old, entered his heavenly home on August 13th at the Trillium Hospice House surrounded by his loving family. His valiant battle with multiple myeloma lasted 9 years. His devotion to his family and his relationship with Jesus Christ sustained him during his illness.
Bill is survived by his loving wife of 46 years Pat (Soley); son, Eli and daughter in-law Charity (Maudlin), grandson Eli Shaw, granddaughter Abbey Shaw of of LaCenter, Washington; daughter, Hannah Lynne (Sam) Zick, grandson Quincy of Marquette; mother, Shirley Shaw of Detroit; sisters, Karen (Dennis) Vershaeve, Sherry (John) Ellis, Pam Zakalowski, Gail (Paul) Hanko, Donna (Kirk) Shoemaker, Shiela (Paul) Paraventi; brother, Tim (Ruth) Shaw; and 47 nieces and nephews.
He is preceded in death by his father, Harold Shaw; brother, James; and brother in-law, Marty Zakalowski.
Bill was born to Harold and Shirley Shaw in Detroit Michigan on April 10th 1951. He graduated from Denby High School in 1968. He married Patricia Soley in 1973 and moved to Marquette, Michigan. He graduated from Northern Michigan University in 1976 with a degree in industrial arts.
Bill was co-owner of North Country Builders for a few years and later started Integrity Builders and ran the business for approximately 11 years. He then began his teaching career at Marquette High School where he taught shop and construction. He retired in 2016.
Bill was an outdoorsman and spent his time hunting, fishing, and hiking. He was always building something out of wood, usually to be given away. Unwinding for Bill after a long day was chopping firewood.
A turning point occurred in 1986 at the funeral of a neighbors 7-year-old daughter when Pat and Bill gave their lives to Christ. From that point on, their lives became God-centered. They joined Marquette Gospel Tabernacle later to become Waters Edge Church and began serving in various ministries: teaching childrens and adult Sunday School, youth group leaders and a mission trip to Mexico, marriage and individual ministry and bible studies in their home. He fixed anything and everything that needing fixing at church and was always available to help with anyones building project. Bill also did Keryx prison ministry and was active in the Emmaus community for many years.
During his last 3 years at home, Bill devoted himself to being a prayer warrior for family, church family, and friends.
That turning point also affected Bills teaching career. He not only taught his students, he began praying for them every day. He encouraged them to learn a variety of skills that would carry them through life. He modeled honesty, integrity, respect, and fairness. He stressed the importance of a good work ethic. He loved his students and always had time for them. He made learning fun. He was dearly loved and will be deeply missed.
Funeral Services will be on Saturday, August 24th at Bethel Baptist Church on Grove Street in Marquette. Visitation will be held from 11:00-1:00pm with the service at 1pm followed by dessert and coffee.
Donations can be made to the Trillium Hospice House, 1144 Northland Drive, Marquette, MI 49855. We would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to the staff there and also to Lake Superior Life Care & Hospice.
The Canale-Tonella Funeral Home is assisting the family where memories may be shared at canalefuneral.com
Tributes
"We we're very blessed to know Bill words can't explain the the sadness that is in our hearts ! He was kind,caring, and loving , the last time that Dave and I saw Bill and Pat was at Ma's 90th birthday! We prayed together that day and it was something that we well all cherish in our hearts ! We send our prayers to Pat , Eli , Hannha and the rest of the family ! Your in God's hands now Bill rest peacefully !"
"Adored by so, so many. An inspiration. Will be truly missed."
"My first meeting with Bill was as a concerned parent. I was immediately impressed with his sincere concern and attention to detail and facts. He was a straight shooter who cut to the chase not mincing any words. It was with great luck that I got to spend 11 years in the same office with him at MSHS. We started and ended work days together sharing so much professionally and personally that developed a friendship that went beyond our work environment. Our parent to parent talks were so helpful to me. He was at all times a man of high moral character, tremendously skilled in his craft, compassionate, attentive to detail and the best mentor/teacher to all those fortunate under his tutelage. I had the luck to work on a few projects outside of school with him and his understanding of his craft was instinctive and precise. Working on projects I was always amazed that as a carpenter he could work all day with the same pencil. He was funny, energetic, tireless, precise and profound to watch on the job. In recent months he would always end our visits with the simple statement of..."Look forward to working on projects with you..." Amazingly at the time of his passing I was working at camp on a project and thought of him and realized what he meant...his spirit of goodness flowed through me... instead of grinding away on the project I looked upward, smiled thinking of this great man who I got to call a friend and thought ...how lucky am I - I get to work today! Love you Bill, Pat, Eli and Hannah. Sincere Condolences Rico Zenti"
"Bill was practically my grandpa. He raised my mom and i grew up with Hannah "
"Condolences to the family. Lord bless during this time. I remember when we first met on.the.Road to Emmaus"
"I met Bill in 1978 when I was a senior at MSHS. He was always kind and helpful. I would run into him over the years at the medical center where I work. It was always a pleasure to chat with him. Dave Balbierz"
"Bill was a genuine, kind and mercy filled man. When you talked to him, you had his full attention. He was thoughtful and his words always were intended to encourage, exhort an edify. He was an influencer and that influence will continue until Jesus comes back. Thank you Bill for your love and prayers. Until we see you again. Love Dave and Linda Johnson"
"From a little man at church all the way to him being my shop teacher in high school... never a dull moment with that man! Rest easy my friend you will be missed dearly"
"This is such a beautiful tribute to Bill. He was an incredible human being. Bill significantly influenced who I am today. When I was a kid in youth group at the Gospel Tab, he was one of the most important people in my life. He truly saw me.. when it felt like no one else did and he listened to me with unconditional acceptance and compassion. Because of his mentorship I knew I mattered, I was loved and I was important. Bill was selfless, caring, kind, humble, wise, and lived with such integrity. He made me want to be a better person. I have so much respect and love for this man. Bill and Pat will always be so precious to me. Pat, I am thinking of you and praying for you daily. I love you."
"one of the kindest man i have ever met.......miss you....rest well....and thank you again for Nathan......TT"
"I feel so blessed to have grown up in Church with a man like Bill as an example. I went on to be an aid to the industrial hall in high school and was proud to know Mr. Shaw Hugs and prayers to you Pat, Eli, and Hannah, thank you for sharing him with us all. He will be remembered with love."
"I was fortunate to work with Bill at MSHS. Mr. Shaws kindness, expertise and compassion was evident every single day. Not only with every student he met but with teachers as well. He not only taught students woodworking skills, he taught them to be good people. I remember him praying with students around the flagpole before the first day of school. When we would talk, he would talk of the love for his family and how proud he was of them. His face would light up when he spoke of his wife, Pat. When our lives took a similar turn, we became connected and I will never forget the way he would say Hi Kid when we would meet in the hallway. I have thought of he and Pat in the past few years, I wish I had reached out when I thought of them. Every time the song, Believe by Brooks and Dunn would come on I thought of Bill and his faith. I know that I will hug my family a little closer tonight because of Bill and his Family. My thoughts and prayers are with you all."
"I enjoyed my years at the high school working on the same team with Bill. He was a great teacher and coworker who always had kind words to all of us, student, teachers and the support staff. He will be greatly missed by our community and he will be remembered well by all the students he taught."