Frances ( Frannie ) Shaw

Frances Ann (Frannie) Shaw, 71, of Westernport, MD, died Wednesday, August 18, 2021, at Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, WV with her daughters at her side.

Born on January 16, 1950 in Clarksburg, WV, she was the daughter of the late Regina Haywood Rigsby and Wallace D. Rigsby. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her son, David H. Shaw, Jr. and her maternal grandmother, Teresa Haywood.

Frances Ann was a 1968 graduate of Bruce High School. She worked as an Instructional Assistant at various elementary schools in Allegany County while raising her three children. After recognizing her true calling and passion for teaching, she pursued her education at Frostburg State University, graduating magna cum laude with her Bachelor's Degree in Secondary Education.  She was a member of Sigma Tau Delta, the English Honor Society.  She also received a Master’s Degrees in both English and Administration and Supervision from Frostburg State University.

Mrs. Shaw began her teaching career at Oldtown School and later taught English and journalism at Westmar Middle School.  She then held the position of Supervisor of Professional Development at the Allegany County Board of Education, as well as the Supervisor of English. During her time as a supervisor, she was lovingly referred to as the “Queen of Staff Development” as she had an enthusiastic way of collaborating with her colleagues to inspire continuous lifelong learning. She worked on writing numerous English curriculums and was instrumental in implementing a writing program that was county-wide. She also enjoyed mentoring new teachers. Her heart was called back to the classroom, and she returned to teaching English at Beall High School and then later Mountain Ridge High School until her retirement. While at Beall and Mountain Ridge, she served as the English Instructional Leader, Prom Committee chairperson, the Newspaper Adviser, and the School Improvement Chair. She also helped to establish the Fabulous Friday treat with her lunch bunch, and often gave her students Food For Thought on special occasions.

Mrs. Shaw received numerous accolades in the field of education including the 1991 Middle School Teacher of the Year chosen by the Maryland Council of Teachers of English and Language Arts, the 1993-94 Allegany County Teacher of the Year by her colleagues, and the Tim Conroy Teacher of the Year Award at Mountain Ridge High School, which is awarded through an election by the students.

Frances Ann was also very active in her church community as a member of St. Peter’s Church in Westernport.  She taught Religious Education for many years and also taught Confirmation Prep classes, serving as a role model and mentor to many youth as they committed to their faith. She served in several leadership roles in the Divine Mercy Parish, including the secretary of the Divine Mercy Pastoral Council and also a member of the Divine Mercy Parish Pastoral Planning Team. Upon her retirement, she continued her love for teaching by leading a weekly Bible Study class with her faithful friends at St. Peter’s. She also loved being the greeter at church, as well as bringing her own style to Donut Sunday Socials after mass, and was a Eucharistic minister.  She was active in her community as a member of the Xi Beta Beta Chapter of the Beta Sigma Phi Sorority, and was honored as a lifetime member of the Westernport Elementary School PTA.

Despite her awards and recognitions, Frannie believed her greatest accomplishment was her family. From the fun she brought to family vacations, to her beloved themed Frannie Camps for her grandchildren every summer, she found her biggest joy was planning events to bring her family together and make them smile.  She loved her life and all of the people in it, and most importantly, she managed to bring out the best in everyone with her unconditional love and support.

Frannie is survived by her husband of 54 years, David Shaw, Sr.; her children, Stacey Weimer (Rick), Frostburg; and Shannon Green (Vince), Frostburg; grandchildren: Taylor Preston (Ben), Torey Weimer, Jordyn, Jenna, and Vincent Green; and two great-grandchildren, Ace and Palmer Preston.  She is also survived by her sister Robin Everline (Joey); brother- in- law John Shaw (Martha); sister-in-law Julie Determan (Bill); sister-in-law Elizabeth Cheswick; and many nieces and nephews so special to her including Adrienne Everline Royce, Brock Everline, Jayci Duncan, Erin Clagett, Michael Determan, John Shaw, Katie Kalbaugh, Jason Shaw, Matt Kalbaugh, and Kevin Kalbaugh, as well as her special friend of 68 years, Vickie Marsh Bierman.

Friends will be received at The Bruce Outreach Center in Westernport (former Bruce High School) on Sunday, August 22, 2021 from 3 to 7 p.m. The family encourages the wearing of masks at the services.  Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Monday, August 23rd  at 11 a.m. at St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Westernport. The mass will be officiated by Rev. Edward S. Hendricks and Deacon Harold Bradley. Interment will be in St. Peter’s Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the David H. Shaw, Jr. Memorial Scholarship Fund c/o M & T Bank. The family would like to thank the staff at Ruby Memorial Hospital for the kindness and compassionate care they gave to Frannie during her health battle.

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”- Maya Angelou This quote best represents our beloved Frannie. Please share a smile, kind word, an occasional pick me up cookie or brownie, or the gift of your time to make someone feel special, as this is the biggest lesson we learned from her example.  Even through her darkest moments, she still found a way to brighten the day of others, and for that Frannie, we say, “You are and forever will be The Best!”

Condolences may be left with the family at www.fredlockfh.com