Archie Edward Shaw, III - Obituary

rchie was born in Charleston, SC. From there, his family moved to Atlanta, GA where he spent his childhood. His father’s employment with the U.S. Weather Bureau took them to Long Island, NY and then to Anchorage, AK when Archie was a teenager. He graduated from Anchorage High School in 1954 and then from Biltmore University in Asheville, NC. He returned to Alaska, working for the Weather Bureau for about two years, before enlisting in the US Army, where he served a brief active duty followed by six years of Army Reserve. He went back to work for the Weather Bureau in Asheville and then transferred to the Washington, D.C. area as a computer programmer (a new field at that time). That was also when a portion of the Weather Bureau reorganized into the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). After more than twenty years, he left NOAA in 1983 and went to work for Argos Services, administered by the Centre National d’Etude Spatiales (the French space agency). He retired in 2001. His career with CNES, although based in Suitland, MD, allowed him to travel the world. He moved to Edgewater in 2005. He was an extraordinary man – he loved people, laughter, mystery stories, crossword puzzles, playing catcher on a fast pitch softball team, riding his Harley, some special dogs and cats, and thunderstorms. Jesus Christ was his Lord and Savior. He is survived by his wife Margaret, daughter Nissa and son-in-law John Ellinwood, son William Dean Shaw, five grandchildren, and several nieces, nephews, and cousins. He was predeceased by his sister Anne Page. His ashes will be interred in the Shaw family plot in a cemetery in McClellanville, SC. Family and friends are invited to Archie's life celebration on Saturday, July 9 at 11 am at Edgewater Bible Church, 1716 Shadyside Dr, Edgewater, MD 21037. Following the service, a luncheon will be held at the Ward's house. Online condolences may be made using the Memories tab on this page.