Neil Parker Shaw

Westbrook – Neil Parker Shaw, 85, of Portland has left us on March 12, 2018 while at the Maine Veterans Home, but do not worry because we are sure that he is still making many laugh and has found some games to officiate.

Neil was born on September 14, 1932 the son of Joseph Howard Shaw Jr. and Katherine (Peters) in Portland, ME. He attended local schools and graduated from Cheverus High School before attending classes at both University of Bridgeport in Connecticut and University of Southern Maine. He also spent 3 years in the United States Army serving his country.

Neil was a true family man. His biggest goal in life was to make sure that his family was taken care of and had what they needed. When the kids were young he could be found practicing sports with them or being involved with all their activities. That was his true passion. He would make sure that he never missed any games or events. His love of sports flowed into playing, coaching and officiating basketball, baseball, softball, and football. He often enjoyed playing card games with the children and when he won there was no doubt in their mind that he had cheated to do it. Cribbage was his favorite game, winning many tournaments in his day and teaching his kids how to play. He loved traveling to Florida and Disney with his family taking many trips with his wife, children and grandchildren. Neil always took pleasure in going places just to meet famous athletes and getting pictures and autographs.

Neil was a man with an incredible sense of humor and quick wit. He loved making people laugh. He had a natural ability to create a joke or prank that left people in stitches or wondering what just happened. His house is lined with silly gadgets that he would always surprise his guests with. One of his wishes was to place a farting gadget in his casket that would sound when people were present.

Neil was blessed with a great head of hair and a great beard and mustache to go with it. He was always compared to Kenny Rogers and the ladies admired him for it.

He took pride in his job as a Training School Counselor at the Maine Youth Center, caring for the kids as if they were his own. He would come home with notes and pictures that the kids gave him and he kept them all.

As Neil was blessed with grandchildren and great grandchildren he spent time with them always using his humor and teasing them. He loved celebrating ALL the holidays and could often be seen dressed in holiday flair as he ran his errands and shopped, bringing smiles to all who saw him. His favorite holiday was Halloween. He enjoyed scaring the neighborhood kids and making them work for getting their candy. He enjoyed spending several hours assembling jig saw puzzles that he proudly displayed on the walls. He loved spending time with his wife Kathleen (Byrnes) whom he spent 55 beautiful years with and would always take out to eat at their favorite place, the Clambake. When the two of them were home he would sneak up on her and start singing “You are so Beautiful” to her or dancing in the kitchen to Unchained Melody. More recently his musical palate expanded into hip hop music, which left some confusion amongst his family, but it made him happy and people always enjoyed seeing an old man try to perform the latest moves.

Neil leaves behind his wife of 55 years Kathleen (Byrnes) Shaw of Westbrook, two daughters Katherine Weimer and her husband Scott of Portland, Kimberly Deering and her husband Matthew of Portland; 5 grandchildren Matthew and Dustin Guimond, Kiara, Kameron, and Kaden Deering; 3 great grandchildren Kaylie-Jo, Dustina, and Matthew Guimond;, and many nieces and nephews. He is spending time with his father Joseph Shaw Jr., his mother Katherine Peters Fairweather and sister Donna McQuinn who predeceased him.

The family would like to invite you to attend visiting hours on Tuesday March 20th from 4:00 to 6:30pm which will be followed by a Celebration of Life at 6:30 and a reception at 7pm, all taking place at Jones, Rich & Barnes Funeral Home, 199 Woodford St, Portland, ME 207-775-3763.

You may offer your condolences or share your stories of Neil at www.jonesrichandbarnes.com

Donations in Neil’s memory may be made to Animal Refugee League of Westbrook, 449 Stroudwater St, Westbrook, ME 04092