George "Monty" Montgomery Shaw

George Montgomery “Monty” Shaw passed away at his home on Thursday, January 26, 2023, with the love of his life, Diane, by his side. He was 67. The magnitude of the shock of his unexpected passing speaks volumes of how beloved he was by so many.

A celebration of life Service will be held 1:00 PM April 1, 2023 at St. Paul's Episcopal Church.

Immediately following the service there will be a gathering to celebrate Monty’s life at 1915 Event Center in Wilkesboro, NC 28697.

Monty was born in Laurinburg, N.C., and lived in Laurel Hill until moving to Rockingham, N.C., then to Raleigh when Monty was a teenager. Monty graduated from Broughton High School. He stayed in Raleigh and attended North Carolina State University, briefly, earning his Associates Degree from Wilkes Community College. It was in Raleigh, while working at Charlie Goodnights, that he met Diane, and their love story began. Monty and Diane were married in 1981 in Wilkesboro where they raised their three children, Whitney, Chris, and Rebecca.

Monty was predeceased by his 4th grandson, Miles Allen Smith. It brings us all comfort and peace to know that they are together. Monty was also preceded in death by his father, Russell Shaw, beloved aunt, Mozelle, and his father-in-law, J.C. Faw.

Monty is survived by his wife, Diane, of Wilkesboro; his children Whitney Wagoner (Evan), Chris Shaw (Lawren), and Rebecca Smith (Byron), along with his grandsons, Ben Wagoner (12), Henry Wagoner (9), Oliver Shaw (2), and Levi Smith (born January 29, 2023) – all of Raleigh. He is also survived by his mother, Joan Long of Cary; his brother Van Shaw of Myrtle Beach, S.C.; sister Myra Peterson (John), of Raleigh, nephew John Peterson of New York, N.Y.; brother, David Shaw (Mary), of Huntersville, and nephews David Shaw (Kelsey) and Michael Shaw. Other surviving family members include his brother-in-law Jim Faw (Sandy), of Wilkesboro, and nephew, Matthew Faw, of Austin, TX; and Judy Faw of Wilkesboro, and numerous beloved cousins, aunts, uncles, and other extended family members.

Now that we have laid out the mandatory obituary details, let’s get to the fun stuff. Monty was larger than life. When he walked into a room, you knew he was there. His laugh, his smile, his greetings, he truly had a way to make everyone in the room feel special, loved, and heard.  He had immense love for his family, either bragging or sarcastically joking about them to whoever asked. If you asked him what his greatest accomplishment was, he would, without hesitation, tell you it was his family.

There was no Monty without Diane, she was his universe. Whitney, Chris, and Rebecca had the ultimate gift from their parents, which was witnessing a love like theirs.

Monty was completely devoted to his children and grandchildren. His grandsons meant the world to him, and there is so much of Monty in all of them. They all loved their “Pops” so big and will spend the rest of their lives shining the light of their grandfather. Pops taught the boys to always be kind, give back, and help anyone in need. One of his favorite joys was “passing it on” by secretly buying a meal or groceries for someone.  Random, silent acts of kindness were his love language, and these acts will be passed down to his grandsons. They will always be taught to give back.

Monty loved God. One of his favorite places to visit was the Labyrinth at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. He always went there to walk and say prayers for whatever was heavy on his mind. He had so many close friendships in church and beyond. He loved his friends like family and loved a good routine. Throughout the week you could find he and Diane dining with friends, laughing at Wilkes Hardware, checking in on the folks in the community, always with a big smile on his face. He was immensely loyal.

One of Monty’s favorite places was the beach. He treasured the annual trips with his family. Nothing made him happier than listening to music, smelling salt air, and knowing that his family was all under one roof with laughter in the background. Monty also loved cooking good food. We are sure many of you remember him as “The Chicken Man”. The years he spent cooking meals and delivering to schools, hospitals, churches were some of his most cherished. His booths at Merle Fest and other festivals and events were always crowd favorites, and you were guaranteed a delicious meal if you were a customer of his.

In the last few years Monty spent most of his time at Wilkes County Hardware. He loved the fellowship with the community, making keys, selling sleds on 70-degree, sunny days. You can read more about his time at Wilkes County Hardware here: https://hardwarelifewife.com/2023/02/01/dark-skies-and-beautiful-light/

There are not enough words to express how much we will miss Monty Shaw. We are positive that he had a heavenly hand in the healthy birth of his grandson, Levi Montgomery. And we are positive he’s looking out for those he loved on Earth, and he’s already found a hardware store in Heaven to sit and chat with those we have lost. We take comfort in knowing there is no doubt he will quickly make friends.

In lieu of flowers Monty would want everyone to visit their favorite Wilkesboro or North Wilkesboro business and make a purchase or donate to a cause that will benefit someone in Wilkes County. He loved Wilkes County, and your support of all the hard-working folks there would be important to him. Other organizations that were important to him are The American Diabetes Association and Wilkes Recovery Revolution.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of George "Monty" Montgomery Shaw, please visit our floral store.