Irving Charles Shaw, Jr.

Irving Charles Shaw, Jr, age 91, of Tipton, Mich., passed away on December 23, 2021 due to complications of congestive heart failure. He passed away without pain, holding the hands of his two children.

Irv was born August 5, 1930 in Tecumseh, Mich., to parents Irving Charles Shaw, Sr. and Olive Mackey Shaw. A 1948 graduate of Tecumseh High School, he became the first person in his family to attend college, receiving a B.A. in English from Hillsdale College in 1953. Upon graduation, he was immediately drafted into the U.S. Army, serving mainly at Fort Meade, Maryland near Washington, DC. Although officially a supply clerk, his astute sense of direction and a diligent study of maps enabled him to become a trusted, go-to driver for important military personnel.

After four years of military service, Irv began applying for law school. Accepted at Columbia University, he did not attend due to financial constraints. Instead, he worked full-time at the Michigan Employment Security Commission by day and attended the University of Toledo law school by night, graduating with an LL.B in 1960. He later passed the bar in both Ohio and Michigan, living briefly in Sylvania, Ohio with his new wife, Lois Carroll Hoffman Shaw, before moving back to Lenawee County to open a law practice and begin a family.

Irv’s nearly 60 years of service to Lenawee County began in 1961, when he became Chief Assistant County Prosecuting Attorney. Thirty years later, Irv was appointed by the County Board to fill the newly-vacant role of County Prosecutor. His integrity, attention to detail, and ardent commitment to justice contributed to his continued re-election in 1992, 1996, 2000, and 2004. He was particularly proud of his successful prosecutions of drug trafficking and animal cruelty cases. Following his retirement from full-time work in 2008, Irv became Counsel to the Lenawee County Board of Commissioners and continued in that role until 2020, when he turned 90. Never ashamed of his working-class roots, he loved spending his evenings and weekends working with machinery of every type, exuberantly turning rusty flea market finds into museum-quality artifacts. He especially loved model trains and gun restoration.

Irv is survived by his children, John W. Shaw and Alix Anne Shaw; by his beloved daughter-in-law, Linda Kramer; his grandson, Jia-Ji Shaw; by his former wife, Lois Lane; and by Joan Baumgart, his partner of many years.

Funeral services will be held for Irv at the Tecumseh Chapel of Handler Funeral Homes on Friday, Dec. 31, at 11 a.m. with visitation on Thursday from 3-8 p.m. and Friday from 10-11 a.m. Burial will be in Franklin Twp. Cemetery in Tipton with military honors under the auspices of the Tecumseh American Legion Post #34 and VFW Post #4187. The family would be honored by the attendance of Irv’s many area relatives, colleagues, and friends. Please note that masks will be required of all attendees, regardless of vaccination status. In lieu of flowers, friends are asked to donate to the Lenawee Humane Society or Best Friends Animal Society. Irv never met a dog or cat who was not his friend.
 

Category:

Tecumseh Herald

 

110 E. Logan St.
P.O. Box 218
Tecumseh, MI 49286
517-423-2174
800-832-6443

Email Us

FacebookTwitter

Latest articles

  • America Beltran, a 23-year-old graduate of Tecumseh High School was arrested by ICE agents in February.

    Wed, 03/27/2024 - 2:58pm
  • Tohni Campbell (l) and Kathy Lucha inside Selma’s Opal in downtown Tecumseh. Photo by Jim Lincoln.

    Wed, 03/27/2024 - 2:55pm
  • LISD Tech Center FFA student Camden Grodi, left, and Tecumseh Rotary Club President Holly Willey work on a water pasteurization indicator at the tech center on March 21. Submitted photo.

    Wed, 03/27/2024 - 2:34pm

Please Login for Premium Content