Obituary of Lance Gregory Shaw

Lance G. Shaw Feb. 6, 1957 – Nov. 21, 2021 Lance Shaw, beloved father, husband, brother, coach and teacher, passed away in his sleep at home in Greeley on Nov. 21, at age 64. Lance retired in 2018 after teaching and coaching in northern Colorado for more than 25 years. His coaching career included girls and boys junior high, JV and varsity basketball and football teams in Milliken, Johnstown, Longmont and Greeley, among others. A Colorado native and lifelong resident, Lance was born in Grand Junction and grew up in Gunnison, where he was a star athlete at Gunnison High School, graduating in 1976. He lettered in both baseball and basketball at GHS for two years and earned a spot on the first-team all-conference basketball squad as he led the GHS team in winning the league tournament his senior year. He also was awarded an honorable mention spot on the all-state basketball team that same year. Lance continued to participate in intramural sports while he attended Western State College, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in education in1983. His keen eye and strong sense of fairness made him a highly sought-after baseball umpire and basketball referee across the Gunnison Valley. Lance married Wendy Watson, another Western State alum, in 1986, and they had two children, Ryan (Staci Thompson) and Devin (Jake Clark). He helped nurture their natural gifts and both became good athletes themselves. Ryan played basketball at Greeley Central High School, and later, for Lamar Junior College, and Devin was a star softball pitcher in Greeley and then at Brown Mackie College in Salina, Kan. Lance began his long career as a teacher and coach in Seibert, Colo., where he was the head basketball coach at High Plains High School for two years before relocating to the Greeley area. There he mentored and coached hundreds of junior high and high school athletes, including multiple state tournament appearances with the Longmont High School girls team in his seven years with them. During his 20-plus years as the boys head football and basketball coach at Milliken Middle School, his teams won numerous league championships in both sports. Even after his retirement, Lance continued to coach, most recently as an assistant basketball coach at Valley High School. In his spare time, he was an avid fan of all the Denver-area professional sports teams and supported youth sports programs all across northern Colorado. Lance was stubbornly competitive and fiercely loyal to those he loved. In addition to sports, he enjoyed playing cards, spending time with his grandkids and going for lazy Sunday picnics in the mountains. He loved animals and had dozens of pets throughout his life. Lance was preceded in death by his parents, Ray and Juanita Shaw, both longtime Gunnison school teachers, and his father- and mother-in-law, Gary and Jill Watson, of Missouri. He is survived by Wendy, his wife of 35 years, two children and three grandchildren, brothers Mark (Heidi Hild) and Bret (Holly) Shaw, brother-in-law Brad Watson, and several nieces and nephews. All of them will miss Lance’s sweetness, generosity, sense of humor and big heart. He helped so many young people as a teacher, coach and mentor, following in his parents’ footsteps in living a life of giving back to others.