Thaddeus Joseph Shur

3/20/29 - 11/8/21

Ted died at his Clearwater home on November 8th at the age of 92.

Left to cherish the memory of a brilliant, talented, loving, strong, and generous man are his son - Ken Shur ( Paula), longtime companion - Trudy Ashley, grandsons - Michael Shur and David Shur, sister - Helen Yarrington, and brother-in-law Ron Sovak (Carol).

Ted was predeceased by Milly Shur - his wife of 58 years, son - Paul Shur, brother - John Szczur, and sister - Alice Szczur.

Ted was born in Chorzelow, Poland. Ted’s story of his family’s extraordinary immigration to Buffalo, New York, is included at the end.

After graduating from the University of Buffalo, he married Milly in 1950. Ted was drafted during the Korean War and was stationed in Germany in the Medical Corps. In 1967 Ted, Milly, and their two sons moved to Sunnyvale, California, where Ted worked as a licensed realtor.

In 1970 the family moved to Pinellas County, Florida.

Ted worked hard for his entrepreneurial success with Coral Pools and Shur Construction. He served two consecutive years as President of the Florida West Coast (F.W.C.) Chapter of the National Spa and Pool Institute. In addition he served on the Pinellas County Swimming Pool Advisory Board and worked on the Chapter Arbitration Development Committee. He gave many hours planning and teaching the first professional certified pool operators training program for the F.W.C. Chapter.

Family meant everything to Ted. Ted was the glue that kept his family together. After his retirement, he and Milly traveled often, played with their grandsons, and hosted family parties. Pool parties, both pool table and swimming pool, were a regular event as his grandsons were growing up. He hosted fun and challenging Easter egg hunts. Many enjoyable days were spent out on his houseboat. He taught his grandsons how to catch fish. He was available at short notice for school projects; somehow he had all the tools and supplies needed.

Ted had the knack to fix everything and to build anything. “Measure twice, cut once,” he would often say. “If it doesn’t fit, force it,” he joked when he encountered stubborn puzzle pieces.

“Count your fingers. How many do you have? Make sure you finish the project with the same number of fingers you start with,” he advised cub scouts working on their handyman badge.

After Milly’s passing, Ted fell in love with Trudy. They lived many wonderful years together.

He smiled every day. He had a sense of humor and liked to laugh.

During his full life, Ted made the world a much better place. He cared. We will always love him.

We thank Linda with Home Instead and Nurse Cindy with Hospice for the care they provided Ted.