Alvin William Shaw

Alvin W. Shaw was born September 22nd, 1929 in Spokane, WA to parents Almund and Ina Shaw.

Alvin worked hard his entire life. He began working his first official job in 1940 - when he was about 10 years old - working on the Feenan Farm, about halfway between Steptoe Butte and St. John, Washington, for his Aunt Lillian and Uncle Frank. He earned $2.50 per week. He worked there every summer except the summer of 1947 and the entire year of 1948, until he had to have an operation on his foot.

After that, he worked for Wonder bread for almost 3 years until he was drafted and went into the U.S. Army on Feb 8th, 1951. In September of 1952, he was shipped out for Korea and he arrived in Puson on November 1, 1952.

Alvin was assigned to the 13th Artillery Vehicle Park unit for 14 months, the only company of its kind in the U.S. Army at the time. Their job was to transport tanks, trucks, artillery and supplies to the front lines for the 2nd, 24th, 25th, 40th, and 45th Divisions. Alvin drove over 8,000 miles in Korea during the war. Alvin was awarded 3 Bronze Stars for valor during his service, as well as a special award from the South Korean government.

He was honorably discharged on January 28th, 1953 and returned home.

On January 16th, 1954, he married Bettie Shaw. They were married for 61 years.

Back in the U.S., Alvin went to work for Kaiser for 4 years and joined the Teamsters driving truck. Alvin was a Teamster for 50 years, 33 of those years consecutively, hauling new and used cars on a car hauler for 17 of those years. Over that time, Alvin drove over 2 million miles and received numerous awards for safe driving. He retired on Thanksgiving Day of 1991, when he officially parked the truck and returned to work on the ranch. Alvin also possessed a remarkable memory and could tell you the exact distance and best routes to almost anywhere in the northwest, even after all those off the truck.

Alvin was also a generous supporter of many charities, particularly his favorite, The Vanessa Behan Crisis Nursery, and received many accolades from the Inland Northwest Blood Center for his numerous donations of blood and plasma over the years.

Alvin was best known for being a very caring and generous man who was always there for a friend or neighbor in need and would drop everything to help, who would never let a visitor leave his home without bags of food and/or fresh produce from his garden, who possessed a wealth of knowledge on almost any subject, and who had a special place in his heart for “little ones,” who were likewise drawn to his kind and jovial nature. He also never quit working hard – doing everything from gardening and picking apples to running a chainsaw and helping however he could, even at the age of 92. Alvin is loved by and will be greatly missed by many.

Alvin was predeceased by his wife, Betty, and son Bill. Alvin is survived by children Dawnelle, Patrick, and Nancy; grandchildren Melanie, Ian, Marissa, Evan, Craig, Allyson, and Maribeth; great-grandchildren: Bella, Mila, Jax, Robin, Wyatt, Brody, and Keegan; and many other honorary grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

A graveside service with military honors celebrating the life of Alvin W. Shaw will be held at Fairmount Memorial Park, 5200 W Wellesley Ave, Spokane, WA 99205, on Monday, November 8th at 2:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, please donate to Al’s favorite charity, the Vanessa Behan Crisis Nursery in Spokane, WA.