Roll Call Tribute

Christopher C. Shaw, Jr.
August 3, 1937 - January 11, 2022

Christopher C. Shaw, Jr., 84, of Carlinville, Illinois was called home to Jesus on Tuesday, January 11, 2022 at Carlinville Area Hospital. Chris was born in Bellows Falls, VT on August 3, 1937.

His parents were Sigrid C. and Christopher C. Shaw. Chris married Mary Elizabeth on October 26, 2007 in Carlinville. He was preceded in death by his parents, brother Richard (Marilyn) and sister Beatrice.

After completing two and a half years of college, Chris entered the Aviation Cadet program. Following navigator training, he went through Radar Intercept Officer Training and spent 30 months in an F-101B fighter interceptor squadron. That took him to Germany for three years flying peripheral reconnaissance of the Soviet Union from 1962-1965.

Fifteen months were spent training for and flying in Vietnam. He was awarded the Bronze Star and three air medals for flying 105 missions on his C-130 tour. Chris had a staff tour at 15th Air Force Hq. in California and was then assigned to Strategic Air Command Hq. in Nebraska. Air War college was next followed by a four and a half year tour in the Pentagon where he did the research for his dissertation. His next assignment was in Tampa, FL before moving to Richmond, VA where Chris retired as Colonel, USAF in 1984.

Chris earned his BA from Central Michigan University, a MBA with a computer science major from Texas A&M University and his Ph.D. in Business from the University of Nebraska. Chris spent the next 12 years in academia, beginning with American University in Washington, D.C. and then moved to St. Mary's College of Maryland for a few years. Later he became the program director for the off-campus program of the Florida Institute of Technology at the Naval Air Station in Patuxent River, MD. Chris medically retired from there at the end of 1995. His last teaching position was as a visiting professor at the University of North Dakota in the 2001-2002 academic year.

Chris loved his Lord, his family and church family of St. Paul's Episcopal in Carlinville, baseball and bridge. He was a polio survivor, bridge player (Ruby Life Master) and a bridge teacher and researcher. His research completed in Carlinville, IL on bridge and student test score changes is widely recognized within the bridge community. He and his wife Mary created Youth Bridge Camp in 2009. YBC is a week-long residential camp for 6th-10th graders held annually at Lake Williamson Christian Center. They also created Adult Bridge Boot Camp in 2013, a four-day camp also held annually at Lake Williamson.

Chris is survived by brother-in-law Richard, cousin Elaine, nephews Rick, Mike, Patrick and James, nieces Lisa, Lori (deceased) Karen and daughter-in-law Katherine; five children: Peter, Mary Ann (Jeff), Paul, Margaret (John), and Christopher; ten grandchildren: Joseph (Brianna), Andrew, Sarah (Mike), Brian (Shelley), Stephen, Rebecca, Jessica, Connor, Jackson and Cole and five great-grandchildren: Brayden, Caylee, Blake, Holdyn and River.

Memorials may be made to; St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Carlinville, Youth Bridge Education Organization, NFP, INC., and the American Contract Bridge League, Bridge Whiz Program.

Memorial service and interment to be at a later date.