Robert E. Shaw

Robert E. (Bob) Shaw, of Endwell, New York, passed away at the age of 90 on December 19, 2025, after a period of declining health. He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Pauline, his daughter Amy and her husband John, his daughter Margo and her husband Matthew, and his grandchildren Michael, Paul and Laura.
Bob was born in Coudersport, PA, on May 7, 1935. After graduating from high school, he enlisted in the Army and served in Alabama and then Ohio, where he gained expertise in the maintenance and repair of radar systems. Upon receiving an honorable discharge, he returned to Coudersport where he met and then married Pauline. After starting a family, Bob returned to school and earned his Bachelor of Science in Education from Mansfield State Teachers College. In 1966, the family moved to Endwell, where he became a Special Education and Fifth grade teacher for the Maine-Endwell Central School District, while studying for his Masters degree at SUNY College at Cortland. After teaching for thirty years, Bob retired in July, 1997.
Bob particularly loved the warm weather months, during which he could pursue his many favorite projects and hobbies. As an avid fisherman, he would seek out secluded brooks and streams or take his boat and friends to any number of lakes, both large and small, within driving distance. Over the years, he also enjoyed scuba diving and sailing, on a couple of occasions joining a friend on his ocean-going sailboat to Bermuda. The summer break from school also brought the opportunity to run a small house painting and repair operation with a couple of friends. For a time, he and his friends owned a small cabin in the Adirondacks, where they would periodically spend weekends doing whatever good friends do when they get together in the outdoors. He loved to golf, and well into his 80’s participated in local golf leagues. At any time of the year, he was amazingly adept at fixing just about anything and loved the challenge of bringing a broken item back to life.
Bob’s grandchildren were a joy in his retirement years, and he loved to spend time with them in his backyard pool after a day of gardening and weeding (which he claimed to love doing). One of his favorite holidays was the Fourth of July, when his family would come over for fun at the pool and he’d barbeque chicken for dinner, and everyone would watch the Highland Park fireworks after dark.
Bob loved to tell stories about everything: his time in the Army, his job at the pea canning factory (which resulted in a lifelong hatred of peas), a UFO sighting in his youth, his sailing trips and, of course, fishing trips. In all of the retelling of his stories, however, the size of the fish he caught never got bigger. He was also known for his collection of incredibly corny and endearingly funny jokes, the sources of which he refused to reveal. Bob’s kind-hearted nature, zest for life and love of a good time with friends and family will forever be missed by all who knew and loved him.
A celebration of Bob’s life will be held on Friday, February 6, 2026 from 1:00 to 4:00 pm at Endwell Greens Golf Course.