Obituary of David Hartley Shaw

Age 90, of New Minas, passed away Friday, June 13, 2025. He was born in South Ohio to the late J. Karl and Katharine E. (Bridgeo) Shaw on November 17, 1934 and aptly named by his mother, David, the beloved. 

In all the things of life, he was his mother’s light. Whether it was pitching for the Sandford Sandfleas, playing trombone in the marching band with his father, trying to find ways to avoid working on the family lobster boat as a teenager, pursuing a dream in the Air Force with his new wife by his side or settling into his calling to the ministry with their large and adoring family—wherever he went and whatever he did, he was loved. Not just by his mother, but by many.

His younger sister only sometimes felt that he may have been more aptly named “Heartless,” as he was as good at teasing as he was at being charming. In truth, he was the protector of his siblings. Losing his baby brother as a young boy made him more fiercely so.

Joy was the one true love of his life. In a testament to the way he loved her, he followed his wife into the nursing home before his time so they would not be separated. He stayed by her side until her final breath. Losing her after sixty-six years of marriage took some of the spark from his eyes but never the love from his heart. He was kind and gentle and loving to the end.

Through his work as a pastor and later with organizations such as Yukon Family Services, Dr. Charlie Taylor’s Kairos Marathon Prison Chaplaincy, and Crosby House, he was a counsellor to many, Sourdoughs and Bluenosers alike. His counsel was always complemented by his own wisdom, advice and humour. His compassion, intellect and wit were equally as compelling in a children’s story as in a sermon and his love of storytelling brought forth an imaginary world that will live on in memory. Somewhere in a Menno-mouse church, the descendants of a certain mouse with a wooden leg are wondering why their stories are no longer being told.

He knew how to make people laugh, often at his own expense. Even at the end when asked how he was, he would reply with a twinkle, “I don’t know! No one’s told me yet.” He had a natural ability to “come alongside” the people he met. He would listen with genuine interest, empathizing with their struggles and delighting in their successes.

Perhaps his greatest strength was how he combined all of these qualities into his love for his children. Be they the original, in-law, grand, great-grand or honourary, they knew they were loved to their very essence. They knew they could go to him for the answers they sought and for the guidance they needed. He was their strength and their inner wisdom…except maybe when it came to his irreverent penchant for recomposing song lyrics, often leaving his kids baffled as to why the hymns heard in church didn’t match the ones at home.

In a testament to the way he loved them, he battled back, time after time, from illness and his own broken heart. A pitcher from the start, he played an extraordinary extra innings game, refusing to concede. His remarkable will to remain fueled countless come-from-behind rallies, propelling their seemingly indestructible octogenarian to the status of endearingly enduring nonagenarian.

All games must eventually end and so it was with his final curve ball. On a sunny afternoon in June, when little-leaguers could well have been calling “batter-up,” he laid down for a nap and took his final breath, no doubt with his beloved Joy waiting by his side.

David is survived by his sister, Karlene (Walter); brother, Ed (Elaine); children, Mark (Sheila), Kathie, Jane, Darrell and Susan (Darren). He was grampy, grandpa and uncle to a large clan of grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews and those of honourary status. They will miss how he could make them laugh with silly faces or his “shadow” impression. They never doubted just how loved they were or in his words, “precious, precious, priceless.”

He was predeceased by his infant brother, Darrell Patrick; his parents; niece, Janice; brother-in-law, Bill; son-in-law, Wing; grandson, Daniel and his treasured wife, Joy.

He weathered storms of loss early in his life and steadfastly walked with us as out-of-order losses restructured our lives and the lives of those we love, both family and friend. Even when his beloved wife was no longer with him to share the load and his brilliant mind began to fail him, he rose to meet the needs of those he loved most, reaching through his own grief to minister to our broken souls. His unwavering devotion, a Fisherman’s knot, anchoring him to his love for us, strong and true.

We are profoundly comforted to envision he and mom reunited, continuing their sacred and compassionate partnership, to care for those for whom we no longer can.

Not unexpectedly, yet completely so, we find ourselves without our anchor, without the very wisdom of our hearts. Yet within us is the foundation he has built throughout our lives. Who he was is so deeply ingrained in who we are now that we can go forward to do for him as he has always done for us.

Love him. Love each other and in keeping with his irreverent sense of humour, illegitimus non carborundum.

The family would like to thank Dr. Targett, Matthew, Kim and the entire staff of Blomidon Court for the care they gave David. Their willingness to facilitate us bringing him home as often as we could over his final two years as he grieved his wife will not be forgotten. None of that would have been possible without also the tireless and endlessly compassionate work of the team of dedicated caregivers that we were blessed to assemble around him. Each of you treated him as if he was a member of your own family. We are eternally grateful for the expertise of your care and the reassurance of your guidance. As he would agree, you were the warm fuzzies of companionship to the cold pricklies of his loneliness. A comfort to our most precious dad. Thank you. 

Arrangements have been entrusted to DeMont Family Funeral Home & Cremation Service, 419 Albert St., Windsor (902-798-8317). The family will receive visitors 1-2 p.m., Friday, June 20 in Hantsport Baptist Church, where a funeral service will immediately follow, Rev. Jennifer Riley and Rev. D. Mark Shaw officiating. Private family-only burial will take place in Riverbank Cemetery, Hantsport. In lieu of flowers, donations in David’s honour may be made to the UN World Food Program online at www.wfp.org. Messages of condolence may be sent to the family by visiting: www.demontfamilyfuneralhome.ca