Janet Mildred Engar Shaw

Janet Mildred Engar Shaw was born on January 15, 1935 in Salt Lake City to Karl J. Engar and Mildred Proctor Engar. She passed away on January 11, 2021 from complications of a stroke she suffered on Christmas.
Janet spent her early years in Vernal, Utah, then moved to Salt Lake City, where she attended Jr. High and High School. From an early age, she loved learning and was very advanced in reading and math. Education was important to her and she instilled the value of a good education in her posterity. She attended early morning Seminary, which gave her great gospel instruction and introduced her to several friends, some of which became her cherished dinner group. After graduating from South High School, she attended the University of Utah where she was a member of the Alpha Chi Omega Sorority. Janet graduated with honors in Elementary Education and spent her career teaching fourth, fifth and sixth grades.
On June 13, 1957, a week after her college graduation, she married her sweetheart William Rowland Shaw Jr. in the Salt Lake Temple. They were married 63 1/2 years and together they had four children. They enjoyed traveling together, making it a point to visit museums around the world. They also enjoyed working together. Janet and William served as Co-Chairs of the Utah Centennial Week.
She acquired a love for music from her father Karl and Grandpa Charles, who introduced her to the violin. She played up until high school, but then discovered a love for singing. Ultimately this led to her most cherished passion—a twenty-year calling with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Her choir experience enabled her to travel the world with her husband and attend several presidential inaugurations.
Janet was an avid reader, especially historical and biographical novels, but she never let a self-help article or good recipe escape her scissors and files, many of which she shared with her children. Janet was an excellent cook and her love for food resulted in many experiments at the family dinner table.
Family is Janet’s greatest love and watching her grandchildren and great-grandchildren participate in all of their activities brought her the greatest joy. Grandma had a very personal relationship with each of her grandchildren and was cultivating the same with her great-grandchildren. The grandchildren used the words smart, thoughtful, supportive, encouraging, knowledgeable, well-spoken, engaging, fulfilled, empathetic, unconditionally loving, full of love, good-humored, loves to laugh, musical, compassionate, curious, instructive and devoted to describe Grandma.
The family was fortunate to spend Christmas Eve brunch together after a long nine-month COVID-19 separation. Shortly after telling her family members via FaceTime on Christmas Day how much that time made her whole year, she realized and told William she was having a stroke. We will be forever grateful for the time we were able to spend with her and have a conversation with her one last time.
She is survived by her husband William, son Jeff Shaw (Cynthia), daughters Julie Bickmore (Jack), Laura Shaw, Leslie Hirschi (Lynn), 13 grandchildren, 22 great grandchildren, sister Nancy Lines (Ivan), and brothers Charlie Engar (Kristie) and Rod Engar.
A small funeral service will be held Friday, January 15th at 11:00 a.m. at the Church of Jesus Chris of Latter-day Saints located at 2522 E. 6710 S., Cottonwood Heights. Visit www.ch7ward.com to view the service online. A visitation will be held prior at 10:00 a.m. COVID-19 protocols will be strictly observed including masks and social distancing. Interment will be at the Larkin Sunset Gardens located at 1950 East 10600 South. Arrangements are entrusted to the care of Larkin Mortuary. The family would like to extend their deepest gratitude to Encompass Hospice.