Doris Petersen Shaw was born February 11, 1929 and went home to God on July 11, 2021. She was a loving sister, wife and mother who will be missed deeply. She is survived by her eldest son, Frank William Shaw II. Doris was predeceased by her husband, Frank William Shaw, and her youngest son, Cary Scott Shaw. She was also predeceased by her father, Everett Lorenzo Petersen, her mother, Florence Melba Fullmer Petersen, her two sisters, Jacqueline Petersen Dansie and Marjorie Petersen Savage.
Sometime around 1995, she wrote a brief autobiography which is posted with this obituary. And while many things have transpired and changed during the roughly 26 years since she wrote her biography, Doris thoroughly enjoyed her life, her family and her friends during the remainder of her life.
We hope you enjoy her biography.
DORIS PETERSEN SHAW
I was born to Everett Lorenzo (Ren) and Florence Melba Fullmer Petersen in South Jordan, Utah. I lived on a farm and enjoyed a happy childhood. I loved my two sisters, Jacqueline (Jackie) and Marjorie (Ann). I was called Lill. We had a variety of pets. We worked hard, played hard and lived through the Great Depression. We grew up with many animals such as horses, cows, pigs, sheep, chickens, a few turkeys and plenty of dogs and cats. I rode on anything big enough to carry me. I rode on the pigs, cows and horses. I could not understand why the dogs and turkeys were not strong enough for me to ride on them. We gave most of the animals personalities and had a lot of fun making up stories about them. We even drew cartoons depicting them in our lives. The three of us were very close and we still are. We played together in old abandoned houses. We teamed up with cousins and neighbors to play ball and other games after our work was finished each day. In the winter we rode sleighs down a long hill by our house and built igloos and played games in the snow. I learned to drive a car when I was just ten years old.
School work was easy for me, and I enjoyed the other students very much. I teamed up with others to perform in plays, gave readings and played a cello in the school orchestra. I was a twirler in junior high school and marched with the band on special occasions. Through the years I won a few elections at school and also lost a few. I wrote articles for the school paper while at Jordan High School and was secretary of the Press Club. I had visions of being a newspaper reporter. Instead, I took a lot of training in typing, shorthand and office practice. By Christmas of my senior year, I was hired by an insurance company. I went to school in the mornings and worked in the afternoon. This was in place of my afternoon classes of which I was given school credit.
After graduation from Jordan High School, I worked as a secretary and bookkeeper for various companies. I moved into a duplex with four other girls in Salt Lake City, Utah. We had a ball dating all the cute boys in town.
I married Frank W. Shaw in 1949. After he graduated from the University of Utah with a degree in Accounting, I left the work scene and we were blessed with two wonderful sons. They are now grown up, have families and their own careers.
Frank, the oldest son, is an Attorney and has a PhD in Education Administration. He practiced Law for several years and then went into Education. He is currently working as a Principal in Jordan School District and is teaching Law at the Salt Lake Community College. Scott is a detective in Idaho. He has had specialized training in various areas of Police Science. He also teaches at Idaho State University. Both of our sons married wonderful girls. Frank’s wife, Lyn, holds a Degree in Nursing from the University of Utah. Scott’s wife Vonny holds a Degree in Sociology from Utah State University in Logan, Utah. We have seven marvelous grandchildren. There are three girls and four boys.
While we were raising our children, I earned a BS Degree and an MS Degree from the University of Utah and have had special training in Behavioral Science from Utah State University and the University of Oregon.
I taught elementary school in Granite School District for five years and taught Reading and Language Arts at Kearns High School for two years. I am certified to teach elementary and secondary school and also have a Kindergarten Endorsement and am a Certified Reading Specialist. I have taught in a reading Clinic and also in a Math Clinic where we worked with special problem areas that students had. I spent time working in teacher training on a national level and worked with teachers and school districts all over the United States. I was a Reading Specialist for Granite School District and spent about sixteen years training teachers to teach Language Arts. I have given demonstrations that were video taped and were used for teacher training in various school districts around the country. I have written a workbook that was published and sold to teachers of Special Education to help slow students improve eye movement and reading skills. During my career I have taught classes for teacher recertification that carried college credit from the University of Utah, Utah State University and B.Y.U. It was a fun experience to travel around the country and see what other teachers were doing in their classrooms. The last presentation that I gave was at an International Reading Conference held in Brisbane, Australia.
My husband, Frank, worked in the business world and was a supervisor for the Department of Employment Security when he retired. He is also a very good mechanic, has a General Contractor's License. He teaches Law on the college level. It is interesting to note that Frank, Frank 11, Scott and I have all experienced teaching college.
I enjoy golf, hand work, reading, bowling, hiking, fishing and going for long walks. However, I enjoy my family and all of our fun parties together more than anything else.
I am now retired from the world of work, but not from life. I play a little, do a little church work, give a few parties, keep track of old friends, walk a lot and play cards a lot. I still travel on occasion. We are planning our next cruise which will be through the Scandinavian Countries. My grandparents on my father's side came from Denmark, and so I am looking forward to visiting that country. I would also like to go to Russia.
Life can bring good and bad experiences. I have had my share of both. That is what molds us and makes us who we are. However, the bad experiences do not seem to hold my interest very long and so I tend to forget them.
My long range plans are to enjoy my family, my life and this great country and all the beautiful things that there are to see and do. I am rather religious and so after it is all over, I will have experienced a wonderful life while I was on this planet and will be ready for whatever is waiting for me after that.
