Margaret Mary Shaw

Margaret Mary (Craig) Shaw
September 11, 1933 - September 29, 2026

Margaret Mary (Craig) Shaw lived life on her own terms. Born in Warrington, England on September 11, 1933, she grew up during the fear and austerity of the Battle of Britain. As a young girl she cared for her younger siblings while her parents ran socialist meetings at their pub, The Castle Ditch.

Her life path took a major turn when her youngest brother brought home a “Yank” Army-Air Force soldier he had met riding the carnival bumper cars on nearby Burtonwood AFB, UK. She married Wendell Shaw on May 11, 1949. She bravely traveled alone by ship to NYC where she was met by her new father-in-law, Perley Shaw, and one of Wendell’s cousins who drove her north to the small town of South Paris, Maine until Wendell could join her after his discharge from the service.

Despite never returning to reside in her home country, Margaret also never fully adapted to life in this one. She chafed at the religious and social strictures of 1950s American rural life within a devout Baptist family, especially after suffering the grief of delivering a stillborn son. After that, Margaret insisted to Wendell that they live in their own home. It took a few years of rental apartments, but they both worked multiple jobs until they were able to buy a small plot of land and build their own house. At risk to her own health, she and Wendell tried again and successfully raised one daughter, Wendy. When the time came, they proudly supported her through Mount Holyoke College, and relocated to Chelmsford, MA for a better job opportunity. After college, when Wendy returned home and also met and married a USAF service member from nearby Hanscom AFB, they did so in the living room of Wendell & Margaret’s longtime home at 11 Gallup Drive, with a potluck reception afterwards.

Margaret was very intelligent, passing all her A levels in England at 16, but there was no money for college. Here in the US, she was ferociously self-taught, watching PBS every night and obtaining books from the local library weekly. Margaret was unstoppable, despite numerous joint replacements starting in her early 30s, and walking with a cane for the rest of her mobile life. She attended classes wherever she could, both at Bates College and Lowell State College. She liked to talk about what she had learned with everyone, and she transitioned through several self-learned careers to bring in income: from doctor’s office manager in So. Paris, AKC dog breeder, illustrator for advertising, editor of local publications, silk and dried flower arranger, and finally, with Wendell’s help, small business owner, The Magpie’s Nest, doing antique restoration and consignment.

Margaret avidly discussed history and politics. She prominently displayed a painting of George Washington in her home, but she was more likely to speak critically of Chiang Kai-shek. She had a strong working class and international point-of-view, and she cared about foreign films and non-mainstream publications. Her thirst for learning turned to travel once circumstances allowed, and she and Wendell took three major trips in the 1980s, one across the US to visit our National Parks, one to China and one to Russia. Margaret wanted to compare firsthand how communist countries operated compared to this one and the UK.

Margaret laughed a lot. She also talked a lot, often to herself, and she made a big impression on everyone who met her, even once. She saved all her pennies and knew every trick to stretch a recipe. She had no patience for fools or holidays. She liked feeding wild birds, loved her Dachshunds, and couldn’t arrive somewhere on time to save her life. Margaret would tell you exactly what she thought without sparing your feelings, and she managed her marriage, her husband’s depression, and her own health issues with precisely the no-nonsense approach you might expect of someone who had survived bombing by Nazis.

A notorious night owl, she worked late into the night and awoke late each day, a tendency that perhaps contributed to her eventual dementia. By the time her husband of 70 years passed away from Covid in March of 2020, she had taken up residence at Nashua Crossings in NH, and having attempted a series of unsuccessful escapes, earned the admiration from the staff for her creativity in planning them.

Margaret Shaw, in the last chapter of her life, was surrounded by caring people who were perhaps finally able to provide her with the simple joys of childhood she was unable to have as a girl. She leaves this world having reached her 93rd birthday, survived by younger sister Kim, daughter Wendy, grandsons Gregory and Fred, whom she always called Shawn, his children Ben and Hannah, and step-grandsons Ken, Kevin, and Craig and their families.

In the words of grandson Greg, “Nana is the kind of person sadly disappearing from this world, and she would be upset that this summary of her life is not more pointed and outraged, that it doesn’t grab you by the lapels and make you so mad you have to do something. She would be furious about the demise of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. She specified ‘no fuss’ after her death, but if you do want to honor her memory, please support your local library or write your congressional representative and give them a piece of your mind.”

According to her wishes, services will be private.