grave import

Obituary

Richard Elden Shaw, age 85, left this world and entered into the presence of his Lord and his loved ones in Heaven on Thursday, April 16, 2015.
Richard Elden Shaw was born on April 19, 1929 in Chicago, Illinois where his parents, Harvey and Vera Shaw, were studying for the ministry at Moody Bible Institute. On October 5, 1951 he married Evelyn Gillow at Oak Grove Methodist Church, south of Burlington.
In 1937, Richard and his family traveled to France for language study, and then to French Equatorial Africa (now the Central African Republic) to serve as missionaries. In 1942, when Richard was thirteen years old, the ship carrying his family home to America for furlough was torpedoed and sunk by a German submarine. Richard's parents and one sister, Georgia, died as a result of the sinking; and Richard, another sister Donna, and seventeen others drifted for twenty days on a life raft in the Caribbean Sea until their rescue. After living in various foster homes in several states, Richard moved to Burlington, Iowa in 1945, and was hired at the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy railroad shops in West Burlington as an electrician apprentice. He was employed at the CB&Q and the Burlington Northern Railroad for forty-four years, retiring as an electrician in 1989.
Richard joined the U.S. Navy in 1946 and was stationed at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, and on Midway Island. For the next four years, he served on the destroyers USS Blue and USS Klondike, studied and taught judo, and during his time on Midway also served as a firefighter. Originally given his discharge in 1950, several months later Richard was recalled as a reservist to serve in the Korean War. In that tour of duty, he served aboard the minesweeper USS Symbol, and was a member of one of the Navy's early underwater demolition teams that in later years would become the Navy Seals. At the end of his service in Korea in 1952 he returned to Burlington, his family and his job with the railroad; and in 1954 he received his final discharge from the U.S. Naval Reserve. Several years later Richard began studies through Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Illinois, to become an ordained minister. Receiving his ordination in 1962, he served several area churches as an interim pastor, and for four years he ministered as a chaplain the prison in Mt. Pleasant. Richard also served as a chaplain in several area nursing homes, led many home Bible study classes, and preached in numerous area churches and schools, sharing the story of his experiences and of God's mercy and grace in his life. Richard was a member of Harmony Bible Church and also attended Burlington Baptist Church, was a member of the Burlington Civil War Roundtable, and chaplain of the Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp #1759. He also was a member and chaplain of the Railroad Retirees Club. Richard enjoyed following the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team, visiting with friends at the Hungry Bear restaurant and in the GRMC cafeteria and spending time with his grandchildren. After retiring, Richard and Evelyn enjoyed traveling to North Carolina and spending time at the coast.
Survivors include his wife of 63 years, Evelyn Shaw of Burlington; his children, David (Jan) Shaw of Coralville, Iowa, Nancy (Mark) Spell of Timberlake, North Carolina and Ruth (Bryan) Hobbs of Burlington; his grandchildren, Andrew (Hilary) Wilkinson, Alicia Houston, Nathaniel Houston, Kara Houston, Jared Shaw and Evan Shaw; six great-grandchildren, Paige, Tate, DaVeion, LaRiyah, Kaydnce and Max; his sister, Donna (Bill) Taylor of Conway Arkansas and nieces and nephews.
The family will receive friends from 4 until 7 p.m. Sunday, April 19th, at Lunning Chapel.
The funeral service for Mr. Shaw will be 10:30 a.m. Monday, April 20th, at Lunning Chapel with Pastors Kendall Adams and Danny Dingus officiating. Interment will be in Aspen Grove Cemetery. The Burlington Area Veterans Honor Guard will conduct military rites.
In lieu of flowers, memorials have been established for Hayes Water Foundation and other special missionary friends.