Obituary of Ida Jane Shaw

On Thursday, September 5, 2024, at age 79, Ida’s life journey came to an end in Valley Regional Hospital, Kentville. During her short time in the hospital, memories were shared by her family, dear friends and her caregivers. There were many moments of storytelling, filled with laughter and silliness, which we know she heard and would have appreciated. Ida was born October 19, 1944, in Windsor, to the late James and Blanche (Boyd) Mason.

She is survived by her sons, James and Robert (Shelley); daughters, Suzanne (Mike Davis) and Sarah (Shawn Brown); special grandsons, Steven Shaw (Jenny), Ben Shaw (Amber), Joseph MacDonald, Mitchel and Kail Brown; brother, Gary Mason (Heather); sisters, Barbara Fleming (Ken), June Lorencovitch (Frank), Betty Hunter (Bill); sisters-in-law, Adeline and Winnie Mason, Florence Swinamer, Dorothy Collins (Leroy), Linda Keddy (Skip); brothers-in-law, Stewart Marsh, John (Heather) and Paul (Trudy) Shaw; a very special and dear family friend, Cheryl Palmer; several nieces, nephews and their families;  step-grandchildren, Devon (Heather), CJ (her children, Maddie and Michael) and Kyley (Jamie).

Besides her parents, she was predeceased by her husband, Gordon; in-laws, Vernon and Thelma (Phinney) Shaw; brothers, Robie, Harold, William, Robert (Margaret), James, John (Linda) and Donald (Margaret) Mason; sisters, Eleanor Edwards (Graham), Marguerite Logan (Perry), Sheila Marsh, Judy Matheson (Ronald) and Catherine Urquhart (Alex); brothers-in-law, David (Vivian) and Stephen Shaw and Weldon Swinamer.

Ida devoted her life to her husband and true love Gordon, who was taken too soon at the age of 37, her children and their families, and also to her mother, siblings and their families. In their early years of marriage, she and Gordon developed, owned and operated Gordon Shaw Concrete Products, a very successful concrete business in Windsor Forks. Together, she and Gordon enjoyed attending hockey games, going to the Church of the Nazarene together as a family and socializing with family and friends. Sunday was always a family day for them. After Gordon's death, she sold their business and dedicated her life to her family, making many sacrifices along the way. Ida was an exceptional parent to Mother her children, always showing unlimited strength, patience and devotion.  She was always supportive and available for anything they needed or wanted from her, at any time of the day. Ida was the parent who loved all of her children’s friends as her own and listened to all of their crazy stories and adventures. Over the years, there were many moments of laughter, silliness and shenanigans which she treasured dearly.

Ida was a very special woman to many and was a well-respected member of her community. She was an active member of the Windsor Forks District School Home and School Committee during the years her children attended the school. She also canvased for different charities throughout the years. Ida took pride in her home, decorated for all of the seasons and was well known to leave her Christmas tree up until February! She especially enjoyed gardening and maintaining her well-manicured lawn and gardens. Ida also enjoyed and attended many hockey games and supported many local teams for many years. She would travel near and far for these, even taking her children out on school nights to watch! Septembers were spent going to the Windsor Exhibition where she spent many hours watching the events in the arena. Many friendships were made inside of the Windsor arena.

Later in life, she became a member of the St. Michael's Church Counsel and Ladies Guild and was actively involved in and a member of the Martock/Windsor Forks Women's Institute. She developed many special friendships with these ladies as well. On Sunday evenings, she attended the Drive-In Baptist Church services at the Fort Edward Mall.

Ida maintained her beautiful appearance by faithfully applying her Mary Kay skin products and getting her hair done weekly. Anyone who knew her, knew she didn't go anywhere without her hair being done and make up on! Her skin was gorgeous to the very end.

Ida spent many mornings having her breakfast at the Crossroads Restaurant and shared her love of food in many local restaurants. Ida always took joy in attending the summertime Shaw family corn boils and Christmas suppers and her Christmas Eve chowder dinners at Sarah's. Some of Ida's true joys came from drives in her jeep, visiting and planting flowers at Gordon's gravesite, watching the birds (especially the hummingbirds), the gorgeous sunsets she could see from her favorite chair and watching her game shows, her favorite being Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune, Family Feud and The Price is Right. Another favourite pass time was looking at her gardens and house plants, reading her daily paper and in her earlier years was an avid reader and stayed active by walking daily.

Although Ida wasn’t keen on traveling abroad, or so she thought, she did fulfill her dream of going on a family Alaskan Cruise in 2015, a special trip to Newfoundland and Saskatchewan with Suzanne. Throughout the years, she also visited Martha's Vineyard, Bar Harbor, Maine, the scenic White Mountains, PEI, Cape Breton, weekend trips to the South Shore and took many trips to Ontario by train to visit her family.

Other than her children, Ida shared a special bond with her five grandsons. They were her pride and joy. She cherished them deeply and always wanted to know that they were happy and safe. Ida enjoyed watching their sporting events and activities and hearing about their adventures and just spending time with them over the years. They brought her so much laughter and gave her so much love.

Ida was fortunate enough to have had private caregivers assist her the last few years. This gave her the opportunity to stay in her home until her last few days, which was very important to her. The care team were incredibly compassionate and even during her last few days at VRH, she received the ultimate care from their medical staff.  A special thank you to all who showed so much kindness during these last few years. The family is forever grateful.

Arrangements for cremation have been entrusted to DeMont Family Funeral Home & Cremation Service, 419 Albert St., Windsor (902-798-8317). A memorial service to celebrate Ida’s life will be held 1:00 p.m., Saturday, September 14 in DeMont Family Funeral Home Chapel, Father Tom Henderson officiating. A reception will follow in the funeral home’s Elmcroft Reception Centre. A private family interment will be held prior to the service in Centre Falmouth Cemetery, Town Rd., Falmouth. In memory of Ida, donations in her memory may be made to West Hants Minor Hockey Association, PO Box 2017, Windsor, NS B0N 2T0; St. Michael's Anglican Church, C/O Rectory and Office, 76 Old Halifax Rd. West, Three Mile Plains, NS B0N 2T0 or to a charity of one's choice. Messages of condolence may be sent to the family by visiting: www.demontfamilyfuneralhome.ca