Dates
Stephen Lynn Shaw of San Angelo, Texas, passed away surrounded by his family on June 30, 2024, at age 75. A visitation will be from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday July 2 at Harper Funeral Home 2606 Southland Blvd, San Angelo, TX. The funeral service will be Wednesday, July 3 at 2:00 p.m. at The Anglican Church of the Good Shepherd 3355 W Beauregard Ave, San Angelo, TX 76904.
Steve, as most people called him (also known as Dad or Paw Paw), was born nearby in Mertzon in 1949. The second son and the third of four children of Verda Tankersley Shaw and Joe Shaw, Steve was also the grandson of local pioneers Fayette Tankersley and Annie G. White Tankersley. As a result, Steve grew up learning how to tend to the land that has been in the family for generations. He was proud of his heritage as a Texan and fascinated by Tankersley and Shaw history, ensuring that the lore and pride was passed down to his children and grandchildren.
In 1968, Steve met Nancy, the love of his life, who became his wife in 1970. Together, they raised a daughter and a son partly in Austin but mostly in the thriving oil and gas industry hub of Midland. Both kids graduated from Midland Lee High School and followed in their parents’ highly educated footsteps, earning their bachelor’s degrees and then master’s degrees in their chosen fields of study. Nancy and Steve’s love story was evident to anyone who witnessed them together; the evidence is a wonderful marriage that lasted for nearly 54 years until his passing. On the day he died, Nancy wore blue, which reminded her of their first date, when Steve told her that she had the most beautiful blue eyes.
“One of my favorite pictures from my wedding is of him holding hands with Nana during the ceremony,” says his granddaughter, Rebeckah. “I have vivid memories, stretching back into childhood, of them holding hands everywhere they went. When he awoke from anesthesia after surgery, one of the first things he did was to ask for Nana, joking about making his hair look nice for her, and telling her she was pretty.”
Just before Steve’s father Joe passed away, he said to his wife Verda, "Well, Lady, it's been a wonderful life." That’s the kind of lifelong outlook Steve had too. Always smiling and cracking jokes, Steve would frequently flash those deep dimples of his with a mischievous glint in his eyes. If you said something funny, Steve would say “Listen to you!” and laugh. He loved to laugh.
Nancy and Steve often teased their grandson Brian that if he didn’t give them a Christmas wish list, he’d be getting pink and purple polka dotted pants under the tree. One year he neglected to give them a list, and true to his word, Steve found pink sweatpants at Academy and attached circles fashioned from purple duct tape to fulfill their promise-slash-threat.
A passionate geologist, Steve genuinely found wonder in so many aspects of nature, learning and teaching throughout his life with childlike amazement and enthusiasm that he wanted to share with anyone who would listen. You might not be interested in seeing a bleached-out raccoon skull, but his reverence of his natural surroundings was contagious; you couldn’t help but pay attention.
“PawPaw took me to the ranch and taught me about geology many times,” his youngest grandson Torin says. “Through him, I learned how to understand history based on the geology of the area. Talking about rocks might sound like it could be mind-numbing, but he always found a way to make it interesting.”
Over the years, Steve was active in geological associations, including the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, West Texas Geological Society, West Texas Geology Foundation, Society for Sedimentary Geology, Houston Geological Society, Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists, Geological Society of America, Association of Ground Water Scientists and Engineers. He was a member of the board of directors of the Sibley Nature Center and on the building committee for the Midland Energy Library.
Gentle, brilliant, loving, and kind, Steve will be terribly missed by all.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Joe Shaw Sr. and Verda Tankersley Shaw, as well as his sister Janet Faye Middlebrook. His loving family includes his wife, Nancy, his older brother Dr. Joe W. Shaw Jr of Mertzon (and his late wife Carol), and younger brother Dr. Terry D. Shaw and his wife Anne of Broomfield, Colorado. Steve adored his two children, Katherine Shaw Cox of San Angelo (and her late husband The Rev. Dr.
Sean A. Cox) and William Keeling Shaw and his wife Kristin Vanderhey Shaw of Austin. His three beloved grandchildren are Rebeckah Cox Sellers (and her husband Kelby), Brian Stephen Cox, and Torin Shaw. In addition to his immediate family, he is survived by a host of nieces, nephews, and cousins on both sides of the family.
Donations to honor the life and contributions of Steve Shaw can be made to the Angelo State University Geology Field Camp Scholarship Account or to the Angelo State University Field Geology Scholarship Account.
A live stream will be held on the Anglican Church of the Good Shepherd Facebook page.