Duane Carr Shaw

Mr. Duane Carr Shaw, 83, died Tuesday, May 19, 2026, The Pinnacle of Oxford. The funeral service will be Saturday, May 23, 2026, at 11:00 A.M. in the Chapel of Waller Funeral Home with Rev. Jarrett Jamieson officiating. Burial will follow in Harmontown Cemetery. Visitation will be prior to the service beginning at 9:30 A.M. at the funeral home.

Duane was born in Marshall County, MS on August 1, 1942, to the late Robert Hamilton and Louisa Frayser Shaw. After graduating as Class President and Mr. Como High, Duane reported to Washington D.C. to begin an appointment with the Federal Bureau of Investigation where he worked in the tedious and pre-computer era of fingerprint analysis. His time working with the FBI under the leadership of J. Edgar Hoover was an exciting yet formative time in his life that allowed him to partake in historical events like attending the inauguration of President John F. Kennedy while simultaneously validating his appreciation for his small town, southern roots. Duane returned to Mississippi and began a 40-year career with the MS Department of Wildlife Fisheries and Parks where he worked primarily in hatcheries but notably was tasked and successful with reestablishing the native population of Walleye Pike in the Tombigbee Waterway. A stint with the USDA/ARS took Duane to retirement.

He was a naturally skilled carpenter and woodworker who could begin with wood scraps and skillfully craft “something from nothing”. Over the years, he turned out clocks, furniture, toys or anything he set his mind to, often building from mere sight. His wife smiles recalling his tenacity to DIY anything as she tells of Duane wiring their first home to code after self-teaching from a twenty-five-cent book on electrical wiring.

Together, Duane and Jane lived a joy-filled life raising their daughter, Jennifer and were close to celebrating 55 years of marriage. Affectionately known as “Bop”, he later devoted any free hours he had to spoiling his grandchildren and was often there after school to meet them with their favorite snacks and a cold drink.

Duane is survived by his wife, Jane Ivy Shaw of Oxford, MS; a daughter, Jennifer Wilburn and her husband, Alan of Oxford; a sister, Janice Cook of Harmontown, MS and two grandchildren, Sara Jane Wilburn and A.J. Wilburn of Oxford, MS.

Memorial contributions in Duane’s memory may be made to Harmontown Cemetery Fund, c/o Charles Shaw, 2677 Atticus Lane, Nesbit, MS 38651.