Gary Shaw passed away on 11-1-2004

R

Rhett Stidham

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Aug 9, 2000
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374
11-2-2004, 10:00 am

Gary Shaw died at his home at 1:00 pm, 11-1-2004 after a long illness. Gary hung on longer than most would have as he had a few more knife deals he wanted to finish. He did finish those and a big thank you to those of you that helped him. I chuckle as I write this about his finishing his deals, as well as feel remorseful that we will no longer see him during and after the shows.

I just talked to Grazyna Shaw about the funeral arrangements for Gary.

The viewing will be 7-9:00 pm Wednesday night, 11-3-2004 at:

Zorhees Funeral Home
59 Main Street
Ridgefield Park, NJ 07660
phone: 201-342-2350

Grazyna seems to be OK as she said, "we had plenty of time to prepare for this as Gary knew what would be."

Gary Shaw, good friend, fierce knife competitor and a true maven of custom knives, you will be missed.

Go with God.

Your good friend in life and knives,

Rhett Stidham
 
Thanks, Rhett, for the warm and informative note.

I chatted with Gary and Grazyna in Chicago, and it seems unreal. As all passings do... :(

Coop
 
Sorry to hear about Gary :( , seems like when we're all dead and gone Heaven will be a hell of a place to get knives. :)
 
Gary will me missed:(.
 
I always enjoyed talking to him at the shows. He will be missed. Rest in Peace, Gary.

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Yes Gary will be missed, he was a mover and shaker in the custom knife industry.

Peace be with ya man.

Don Hanson lll
 
Gary is missed already.Contributed much to this Knifeworld of our's.
Dave Ellis
 
What a shame
I have known Gary for about 10 years and his knowledge and passion for knives was always apparent.

I was always amazed by the primo offerings that he seemingly had the inside track to. His showcases were always one of my first stops in NY and Blade.
 
Gary commisioned me to make a knife for him. A fancy carved 3 blade whittler with his stabilized elephant ivory. I won the George Peck award with that folder when I received my JS stamp.

Gary always ended a conversation with a smile and made sure business was done correctly. I didn't always agree to his terms, but in doing business with Gary, there was never a question of where you stood.

I will miss his pressence
 
Had breakfast with Gary a year ago at Blade West.Talked in lenght about the knife business.He had his finger on the pulse.I will miss his wit and the way he did business.Bailey said it right.You always knew where you stood with Gary.
He is already missed.
Randy
 
I have known Gary for 10 years. He was almost always polite. He had class and good taste, but was also a real person. He was a first class knife nut, and had an excellent mind for the business. He would offer advice when it was asked, and it was usually very good advice. In my experience thus far, he is utterly irreplaceable, by one single person. The knife community has not endured the loss of someone that made contributions to the knife world in general this much since Nate Posner of the San Francisco Gun Exchange passed on.

I will miss him.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
I had one deal with Gary in Atlanta. I purchased my only Michael Walker from him at the Blade Show. He was a gentleman and was a fair person to do business with. The knife community will miss a man with his integrity and devotion. Thanks Gary!
 
Always a pleasure to deal with, Gary was a paragon in the industry.

My condolences for Grazyna.

:(

-Michael
 
Thoughts to Grazyna she always put out a nice spread when I visited their home ...Gary was indeed a mighty man in the field and a blast to talk knives with..peace and prayers
 
Wow! Even though I knew Gary had been ill for quite a while, He seemed a bit better the last time I saw him. So, it was a real shock to hear the news. Gary was one of the first people I met in the world of knives. I was introduced to him by Clem Sabourine, also recently deceased. He was always fair and straightforward to deal with and I always learned a lot from talking to him. You could really tell he loved his knives. He will be missed. Condolences to Grazyna. :(
 
It just amazes me with all these responses how much we will miss Gary.
Like Anthony, I always found his table to be a must see. He always had knives with pedigrees that would floor me just getting to see them in person. Like others who are not with us. It will not be easy going to a show without Gary being there.

I remember Bailiey's whittler with the ivory. What a knife!
 
Yesterday we had a memorial service for Gary. One week before his passing, he called me to tell me that he was told to get his affairs in order and a few things worried him. He asked me if I could arrange the spiritual details which I promised him I would. We discussed a few more details and I told him that he need not worry about any details for they would be properly handled.
He stated that the knife business would continue and said, and I quote him verbatim; "Grazyna will be a mighty force in the knife industry."

I had the sad but high honor of officiating at this service. I recited the "El Moley" and "kaddish" at the farewell of my esteemed colleague and dear friend. a group of friends and family gathered at the new Shaw residence where, as usual, the food and hospitality were abundant. We all reminisced about Gary, saw lots of photos dating back to when he was just a young pup, and realized that this is one gathering that Gary would have loved to see.

Grazyna was strong, brave, gracious, and I have no doubt that with the good wishes and good will of all of us in the knife community the torch will be passed to her and will shine brightly.

From myself and my dear wife Karen, we wish to thank all of you for your kindness and good wishes to Grazyna. There are many wonderful aspects to the world of knives and your support was so visible.

Gary has passed but his great knife selection continues.

Dear friend, your pain and discomfort have ended. I will miss the lobsters, the hours and hours of our conversations, the advice, and your certainty that "The Usual Suspects" was the best film ever. I still contend "Once Upon a Time in America' (uncut version) was.

Rest in Peace buddy, and everything you asked me has been taken care of.
I will painfully miss you but always remember you.

Steve Berg
 
Gary was the first person I ever sold a knife to. Quite a few years ago. Since then, we dealt back and forth and stayed in touch. Over the years, I learned a lot from Gary. But, most of all, I learned and came to realize that he was a true friend, above and beyond all else. Gary was a great man and I'll miss him.

Pete
 
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