Valeen Shaw

COALVILLE - Valeen Ellen Jones Shaw of Coalville, Utah, 82, hastened to the loving arms of our Savior on Wednesday, October 24, 2012. Valeen was born on June 19, 1930 in Coalville, Utah to George Allen and Mabel Leon Clark Jones.

Valeen attended elementary schools in Pocatello, Idaho, Ogden, Utah, and Coalville, Utah. In high school she participated in the band, sports activities, and in secretarial work. In May of 1948, she graduated from North Summit High School in Coalville on the high honor roll.

Valeen married her World War II Hero, Melvin Francis Shaw in the Salt Lake LDS Temple on June 21, 1948. They are the proud parents of three daughters: Allene and Michael Fuhriman, Elwood, Utah, Denise and Kirk Call, Roy, Utah and Sharon and David Williams, Moab, Utah.

Together they loved to drive to the Uintah Mountains to enjoy the mountains, hiking, fishing, and sitting around a "Big Campfire". Every weekend from the time the snow was gone till it came again the Shaw family enjoyed being there. She always enjoyed spending time in the outdoors and with her family around a campfire.

She and her family have enjoyed traveling together to North and South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Nevada, California, Hawaii, Canada, and throughout Utah.

Valeen and Melvin have enjoyed working together to make their home comfortable and beautiful. Together they learned how to build, do plumbing, electrical work, and improve on their once small home. Together they have planted flowers, shrubs, and trees to beautify their yard.

For many years Melvin and Valeen have raised their own meat in their backyard. Melvin would be the butcher and Valeen, the wrapper. There would be chickens, beef, pork, and sheep in their freezer. Valeen was a wonderful homemaker. She enjoyed making her home comfortable and beautiful to enjoy. She was an excellent cook and made nice meals from basic ingredients. In the kitchen you could find her making 20-30 loaves of bread at a time, dozens of cinnamon rolls, pies, cakes, and dozens of cookies. When she baked, she liked to share her baking with neighbors, and friends.

Valeen enjoyed seeing her canning jars and storage room filled with fruits, pickles, vegetables, and preserves that she had done. She liked to sew and she sewed all of her daughters clothing until they had gone away to college. She loved to design handmade quilts and received many awards for her quilts. Each quilt she had made is an original one that she had designed and quilted with close family and close friends.

In 1963, Valeen went to college for her first college experience and majored in Elementary Education and Remedial Reading. She also received her kindergarten reading and special education endorsement. Valeen graduated from Weber State College on June 11, 1966. Melvin supported Valeen through her education and helping her whenever he could. Many times he would take her for a ride to the Kozy CafAC. in Echo, Utah for a special treat in the middle of the night so she would be able to finish studying for her exams and write her papers. Valeen has taught at Morgan Elementary and North Summit Elementary. She enjoyed all of her teaching but second grade was her love. Many years she took her classes to the Utah State Fair, and then helped them participate in a contest offered at the fair on what they enjoyed most. Her class received many nice awards from this contest.

Each year her children participated in a spring school variety program. Two of the programs that stood out in her mind involved her class making goats to sing the song "The Lonely Goatherd" from the Sound of Music. For days the children twisted paper with their pencils to cover their own wooden goat that Melvin had made for each class member. The children loved and sang and danced with the goats during the program. The other special program that Valeen enjoyed doing was helping her children make poi balls from yarn and dance with them at another program.

Valeen has enjoyed tutoring children through the years so they could be enriched with reading. She had taught 4H to her daughters and other girls home interior sewing and cooking for many years. And at 4H camp she was widely known for her delivering ice to those who slept later than flag ceremony. She received much recognition while she was teaching. Some of them are: Excellence in Teaching, Who's Who in America, Who's Who in the World, Outstanding Leaders in Elementary Education, and Who's Who in American Education.

Mrs. Shaw had received a lot of satisfaction during her 30 years of teaching. She had loved the joy that each of her students had showed to her as they mingled with each other thru the years. She enjoyed a lifetime of teaching. She was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and had served in many ward callings.

Melvin and Valeen celebrated 54 happy and enjoyable years together before his death in 2002.

Valeen enjoyed spending time with her family, going to their programs, achievements, going on picnics, going camping and just being together. She enjoyed cross stitching, reading, watching the Jazz games and just getting in the car and GOING!

She is the grandmother to 16 grandchildren, 21 great grandchildren and was anxiously awaiting 2 more great grandchildren.

A viewing will be held in her honor on Friday, October 26, 2012 from 6-8 pm at the Coalville, Utah Stake Center located at 40 North Main Street, Coalville, Utah. The funeral services will be held on Saturday, October 27, 2012 at 1:00 pm at the Coalville, Utah Stake center. Friends may visit family prior to the funeral from 11:00am-12:30 pm. Interment: Coalville City Cemetery.

The family wishes to extend special gratitude for the compassionate care rendered by the staff of Inspiration Hospice, the faithful members of the Roy 18th Ward, and the Hyperbaric & Wound Care Center at Davis Hospital in Layton, who have helped more than words can possibly describe- thank you to all of you!