William Edward Shaw Sr.

Born June 7, 1930 in Cleveland OH, William was raised by his mother Cyrilla Martin Shaw and grandmother Elisabeth Martin in Pittsburgh PA.

He attended Central Catholic High School and received his Bachelor’s from Duquesne University 1952 and Masters from the University of Pittsburgh. Bill was a First Lieutenant in the US Air Force, serving at Tinker Air Force Base Oklahoma.

Upon returning from the service he began work at Mine Safety where he met his wife Carol Solomond. They married September 12,1959 in Pittsburgh. They moved their family through out the midwest with Rockwell International. Finally settling in Rockford IL where he retired from Kable Printing Co. Mt. Morris IL.

Bill enjoyed the sunshine and warm weather during his retirement in Melbourne Beach, FL. He was an active member of Holy Name of Jesus Church, helping seniors in the area get to doctor's appointments.

He was a Lions Club member and loved reading books for the Library of Congress at the Brevard Association for the Advancement of the Blind. When he wasn’t volunteering, William could be found golfing, gardening or playing with his beloved granddaughters at the beach.

William is survived by his wife, Carol 66 years; son, Bill Jr.; daughters, Mary Beth Shaw (Jerry) Risner, Annette (Pete) Severson; granddaughters, Alex and Angie Shaw, Elise (Danny) Salley, Claire (Tony) Butler, Erica (Brian) Cook, Kelcie (Andrew) Martin, Jenna (Will Shih) Severson and Annika Severson; 9 great grandchildren, Shaw, Drew and Reese Martin, Theodore Charles Caroline and Henry Cook, Cora Salley and Myles Butler; sister, Dolores (Gerard) Killeen; and brother-in-law, John Paul (Carolyn) Solomond.

He was preceded in death by his daughter, Susan; brother, Jack; mother, Cyrilla; and grandmother, Elisabeth.

A celebration of life will be held at 11:00am on Saturday, February 7, 2026 at Our Lady of Consolation Parish, 4865 11 Mile Rd NE, Rockford, MI 49341, with visitation one hour prior to the service. A luncheon to follow at StoryPoint, 2885 10 Mile Rd. Rockford.

Memorial gifts may be made to Brevard Association for the Advancement of the Blind.

The family would like to thank Gentiva Hospice, Corso Care, Powerback Rehabilitation and StoryPoint Rockford for all of their compassion care.