Obituary of Francis Vincent Shaw III

The world got a bit quieter in the early morning of June 23,2024.  Francis (Frank) Vincent Shaw III passed away peacefully surrounded by his family in New Jersey after a nearly two year battle against pancreatic cancer. 

Frank was a Jersey boy to his core.  Born in Glen Ridge on May 15, 1951, he spent most of his youth in Montclair, before attending Central Connecticut State University, where wrestling was his primary focus outside of earning his teaching degree.  Upon returning to NJ after graduation, he eventually started an accomplished 27 year career with the Montclair Police Department, where he found time to both coach high school wrestling and earn a M.S. in Criminology from Rutgers University, before proudly retiring as a Lieutenant.  He and his family then moved to Sarasota, Florida to support his mother-in-law’s health and his daughter’s education.  In Florida, he found a new passion as a teacher in the Sarasota County Jail, rehabilitating inmates through the G.E.D. program.

Outside of his career accomplishments, Frank relished in reading anything he could get his hands on, with a special preference for mysteries and historical accounts.  His memory was like a steel trap; able to record historical details of major battles he read accounts of, statistics from the 1920s’ Yankee championship teams, names and anecdotes of the old Hollywood movie stars, and the list goes on.  His greatest skill was the ability to talk to anyone about anything that interested them and have some fact/story/piece of history to relate to them with.

Frank can find some peace and rest after a long life well lived; full of knowledge, friendship, and warm memories. Hopefully he will find an endless supply of Mountain Dew and good Jersey bagels for eternity.

He is survived by his daughter, Tiffany; wife, Elizabeth; and his seven siblings, Michael, Carol, Maddy, Phil, Ann, John, and Charlie and their respective families.

A viewing will be held on Wednesday (6/26) at The Hugh M. Moriarty Funeral Home in Montclair, NJ from 1-5pm.