SHINFIELD bid farewell to one of its best-loved residents on Thursday, March 30.
Megan Shaw, who died aged 101, will be remembered by those who knew her as a bubbly and kind lady, who thoroughly enjoyed her life.
Peter Shaw, one of her two sons, said: “I just remember her as a very, very good mother. She was very independent right until the very end – what you saw was what you got.
“She was always well-dressed, always out-going and loved socialising. She worked hard all her life, working until she was 72, and just loved life in general.
“She didn’t like getting old because she couldn’t do what she wanted to do, which was quite hard for her.”
Megan grew up in North Wales, married but lost her husband when she was 54. During World War II, she was involved in aircraft inspection.
Peter added that his mother demonstrated her trademark resilience during the pandemic – she was admitted into hospital and caught Covid-19 while there.
He suspected that it had a significant impact on her, saying that she was “never quite the same” but “soldiered on” nonetheless.
Ann Carey knew Megan for 17 years and described her as a “good friend”. Living near to each other meant they used to come in to Shinfield Community Church together.
She said: “Coming in together, that was our life. Now she’s gone, I’m sort of lost. It’s very sad, but she had a very good life.”
Ann recalled Megan using her abundant culinary skills to prepare dinners for scores of guests, even bringing meals into church for groups to enjoy, helping create a sense of community among visitors.
This was all the more impressive given that Megan was preparing these mains and desserts well into her 90s.
Another friend, Frances Webster, said: “Megan was very inspirational and kind. She was the sort of person who said what she meant and was a very determined lady as well – I think that’s what kept her going for so long.
“If she was here, at the church, and you were doing a crossword and you didn’t know the word, she’d know it. And she was always grateful for anything you did for her. She’ll be sorely missed.”
In 2021, Ms Shaw celebrated her centenary in style, with friends and family, at a party held at the church.
She was pleased to receive her birthday card from the Queen. She told Wokingham Today: “I was worried I wasn’t going to get it because it didn’t come until my birthday. I thought it was an ordinary letter, but when I opened it up it was a picture of the queen.”
