Richard Shaw

Richard E. Shaw

Sept. 18, 1951 - Oct. 18, 2013

OBERLIN, Kansas -- It is impossible to summarize Richard Shaw's life in just a few paragraphs. But we will try.

An outdoorsman all of his life, even as a child Rich was interested in wildlife of every kind. At the age of 7 or 8, he loved identifying different types of birds. If one of his parents was looking for Rich often all they would see was a little straw hat barely showing above wild clover. He would be lying there, waiting for a certain type of bird to return to the nest so he could collect an egg from each species. For the tree nesting birds he improvised a basket made for strawberries. He tied a string wrapped on a stick to it so that he could climb the tree, collect an egg and then lower it to the ground in the basket to avoid breaking the egg on the climb down. His parents still have that egg collection.

Rich attended school in Oberlin with the exception of fifth and sixth grade. Those years were spent in Hays, Kansas, while his parents were enrolled at Fort Hays State University. Rich's high school was full of music, sports and studies. During this time he developed a lifelong love of restoring all types of old vehicles. Some he restored piece by piece. His mother says they visited every junkyard in Kansas. He later passed this love on to his son, Isaac, as they restored several cars together. The two also restored an antique windmill and together placed it at the Shaw farmstead. Rich also loved restoring antique wood burning stoves and bringing rusted out gas pumps back to their original beauty.

During high school, Rich was also in an Aerospace program. This started him flying which became his true passion. He soloed and received his student pilot's license at the age of 16. Later while attending college he flew for skydivers as he worked toward the commercial license necessary to be certified as a spray pilot. (He also tried skydiving a few times himself.) Before college, however, the Vietnam War was being waged. Rich decided to get his education as well as going into the war doing what he loved, which was flying, so he applied for the Air Force Academy and was accepted. The war ended during his second year at the academy so he chose to transfer and finish his education at Kansas State University.

While at KSU, Rich married his childhood sweetheart, Donna Guinn, and together they moved to Australia working as schoolteachers. They traveled extensively and after moving back to Oberlin, had a son, Zachary Don Shaw. Rich started an aerial spraying business, building it into a success on integrity and guaranteeing his work. Rich and Donna's marriage became troubled and they divorced. Rich was spraying as well as teaching at Atwood, Kansas, where he met Anna Seeber. The two wedded three years later and Isaac Blake and Jennifer Savannah were born into the marriage. Rich loved all of his children deeply. He built a pond at the house and introduced his children and his dog to boating on the pond in a boat that he had built. Rich bought ice skates and introduced his kids to ice skating, he took his family on ski trips in Colorado but most of all he gave them a strong work ethic and showed them how to love unconditionally.

Rich farmed and ranched with his parents, Ralph and Violet, and his brother and family, Joel, Tami and Dante. He particularly loved the ranching, commenting often about how there was nothing more beautiful than cattle grazing on green grass. He hunted regularly, especially enjoying when friends and classmates came back to hunt with him. Rich never stopped tending to the wildlife. He put terraces of grass through his fields and created windbreak after windbreak for wild animals. Several years in a row he raised quail releasing them into the wild when they were grown. Rich's farm was full of chickens, ducks and guineas, cats, dogs, and at times mules and horses. He never stopped being an outdoorsman.

Richard Shaw was a member of the United Methodist Church of Oberlin. He lived deeply, loved fully and will be in our hearts forever.

A memorial service will be Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2013, at 11 a.m. at The Gateway in Oberlin with Rev. Nancy Proffitt and Rev. Tom Smith officiating. Memorials may be give in his name to Hospice Services, Inc. or the charity of the donor's choice.

Pauls Funeral Home, Oberlin and Selden is in charge of arrangements. www.paulsfh.com