Rest in peace Dad

Typically I like to use this time to talk about the issues facing our city, our state and our nation. But today I make an exception. Because I want to talk about my father. My Dad recently passed away, and we laid him to rest over the weekend. Pete Shaw was one day past his 84^th birthday when he died at a memory care unit near the Twin Cities. He had developed dementia in recent months, my first first-handed experience with this awful disease. My Dad was a lifelong educator, serving first as an elementary school teacher, then a principal, and then as Director of Special Education for the Iowa school district where I grew up. He was a respected man, and it was touching to read the tributes to him, many from past students who had him for a teacher as much as 40 years ago. Some mentioned specific moments they recall which touched their lives, including one man who was a student in his fifth grade class. My Dad read this student’s writing assignment aloud to the class, telling them that was an example of good writing. The former student writes on Dad’s obituary page that it was then that he realized he could do whatever he wanted to do. He went on to become a successful businessman. My Dad never knew that, nor did I until after his passing. It is clear he touched a lot of lives. He had a good life, with family the focus, and he worked hard to shape me into a man who also values family and treating people with respect. He will be missed. Rest in peace Dad.