Aberdeen mourns death of Peter Shaw
The community of Aberdeen is once again in mourning, following the death of Peter Shaw (76) on 5 September.
His passing comes a little over a week after that of his wife Sue on 26 August. Both husband and wife had contracted Covid-19.
Peter was born on 12 March 1944, in Stratford upon Avon, England. He joined the army as a captain after attending Wellbeck College and Sandhurst. He and his family moved to South Africa from Hampshire, England, in 1975, and settled in Vereeniging. When he and his first wife divorced, he remained in South Africa while they returned to the United Kingdom.
“Dad became a remote figure in our lives, but we always loved him dearly, as did his older sister Jennifer,” remembers Peter’s daughter Ginny Cochran, who now lives in Edinburgh, Scotland. Peter also has a son, Nic Shaw.
Ginny remembers the wonderful time she had living with her father in Johannesburg when she was 17. “We had a lovely time, he always called me sweetheart.”
In 2005, Peter married Sue, and the couple ran a bookbinding business and bookstore in Westdene, Johannesburg. However, they fell in love with Aberdeen while there on holiday and moved to the town three years later.
“He was so happy when he met Sue,” recalls Ginny, adding that Peter travelled with Sue for her to meet his children. “Sue was a keen family person and kept up a connection with us and our dad, for which we are ever so grateful.”
Peter was very fond of his dogs, loved to read, and was a member of the Round Table in Vereeniging. In Aberdeen, he and Sue ran Aberdeen Books & Crafts for about ten years.
“We are incredibly proud to be his children,” says Ginny.
Peter is survived by his children Ginny and Nic, and grandchildren Erin (18) and Georgie (11).