Danny Gerald Shaw's Obituary
Danny Shaw passed peacefully at his home, surrounded by his family, on December 27, 2022. He was 74 years old. To sum up this man’s life in a single column seems grossly inadequate, but I’ll try.
He was born on January 3, 1948, which he declared “the worst birthday ever”, for it was always the day that school resumed after the Christmas holidays. He was born in Ruston, La and grew up in nearby Monroe, where he graduated from Neville High School before attending Louisiana Tech University on a full athletic scholarship as an athletic trainer. He graduated with a degree in Civil Engineering, which he put to good use working for Chicago Bridge & Iron Co., the U.S. Navy Civil Engineer Corps, and Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority. After six great years in the Navy, he attended Georgetown University Law School on a full scholarship.
He moved to New Orleans in 1977 and shortly thereafter met his core group of lifelong friends. He soon found the love of his life, Susan Mallory, and after some convincing, married her on October 2, 1982 in a small ceremony in her parents’ home on Sycamore Street.
He went on to begin a brilliant career at Phelps Dunbar LLP in New Orleans, where he started his legal career as an attorney practicing exclusively in construction/design professional litigation, quickly making partner. In 1991 he moved his family to Mandeville, Louisiana. Wanting to be closer to his growing children, he later started his own law firm in Mandeville with partner Bill Norton.
In the year 2000 Shaw Norton LLP was officially opened for business. The law firm was remarkably successful and continued to grow with offices in both Mandeville and New Orleans, later becoming Shaw Norton Degan LLP. In 2004, the law firm merged into the national law firm of Baker Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC, where Danny was Chair of the firm’s Construction Group. All attorneys and staff kept their jobs, which he was most proud of, and he finally had his “big firm” in Mandeville. After 40 years of practicing law, he somewhat retired in 2017, but he couldn’t completely get away from it all, arbitrating and mediating through his own firm, Shaw ADR, LLC, until he could no more. Danny has been widely recognized as one of the preeminent construction lawyers and arbitrators/mediators in the country. He was a Fellow with the prestigious American College of Construction Lawyers. His awards and accolades are too numerous to mention here.
He loved watching his sons, Jamey and Jesse, play sports (baseball and wrestling, respectively), and no matter how busy he was with work or starting his own firm, he never missed a game or meet that they played in. That did not go unnoticed. He was also instrumental in the installation of lights on Fontainebleau’s baseball field, allowing night games for the first time in the school’s (albeit short) history.
He loved sports, particularly football, and was a die-hard LSU and Saints fan, despite his allegiance to LA Tech. In fact, he was the first lawyer to break the longstanding tradition of Tiger Athletic Foundation only hiring lawyers that had graduated from LSU. (Convincing them that his wife and son both graduated from LSU seemed to be enough.)
He had other hobbies, such as fishing and hunting, but truth be told, I think he liked the camaraderie they offered much more than the sport itself. He was never a very serious angler, but he loved to be out on the water with friends, and that’s what matters most.
In his retirement he loved to travel, and he was a great joy to travel with. He loved experiencing new places and people and cultures different from his own. As a self-proclaimed “redneck from north Louisiana”, he took great joy in seeing the world.
He was a new grandfather to Georgia James Shaw, and he relished in his new role as “Gumps”. (Don’t ask…) He could not wait to spoil her with anything and everything he could. She was the light of his life in these recent months and the reason he fought so hard. It is impossibly unfair that he will not get to watch her grow up.
In September of 2021 he was diagnosed with stage IV Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. He immediately underwent rigorous treatment. Being stuck in a hospital was his worst nightmare, but he was determined to fight. Cancer is a terrible disease, and I wouldn’t wish the last 15 months of his life on my worst enemy. Throughout it all he never complained once- not once. He fought with a dignity and bravery that most would envy. His sense of humor never left him. He was the rock in our family until the bitter end.
He is preceded in death by his entire immediate family; brother Bob, sister Nancy, and parents Nacy Alex and Geraldine Ouzts. They are finally reunited, which is a beautiful thing. He always received great comfort from his favorite Bible verse, Philippians 4:4-7.
He is survived by his wife of 40 years, Susan Shaw, and his two sons, Jamey (his wife Riki), Jesse, his first and only granddaughter, Georgia James, and his loyal companion, Gracie the dog, as well as numerous nieces and nephews, cousins, and other “family members” out there.
In a world obsessed with money and power, Danny Shaw truly knew what was important in life. There was nothing he loved more than a mountain house full of people. He loved the chaos. One of the greatest joys in his life was fostering the friendships that he had with so many different people. He was so loved by so many, and he took great comfort in that. Even those who only met him once have told me how welcomed, loved, seen and heard he made them feel. That was his superpower, and it was genuine.
His legacy lives on in the people that he loved. As the Angel Clarence tells George Bailey - “No man is a failure who has friends.” I wish more people could understand this. He certainly did. In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to the following; Northshore Community Foundation www.northshorefoundation.org/ , JDRF www.jdrf.org/ , Son of a Saint www.sonofasaint.org/ , or St. Jude Children’s Hospital www.stjude.org/donate/donate-to-st-jude.hotmail .
Relatives and friends are invited to attend the Funeral services at The Chapel at First Baptist of Covington, 16054 Murphy Road, Covington LA 70433 on Monday, January 9, 2023, at 11:00 with visitation beginning at 9:30 AM until service time. There will be a reception immediately following the service.
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