David Lee Shaw

David Lee Shaw, 87, of Sugar Land, Texas transitioned to his True Life with the Lord on Thursday, February 16, 2023.

David, the second of five children of Cyrus Jennings and Hazel McKenzie Shaw was born July 9, 1935, in Little Rock, Arkansas. When David was one and a half years old his older sister Mary passed away, making him the eldest of four growing up. The family became deeply religious and spiritual.

Music was an important part of David’s life. He played the trumpet in the North Little Rock High School band, and later the French Horn in the orchestra. He and his siblings formed a quartet from early childhood that performed hymns for many audiences.

David and Karen Shaw are Methodists, attending Sugar Land Methodist Church for the past 12 years where they have been active members of the Questors Sunday School Class, an extension of their family.

David graduated in 1957 with a BS in Journalism from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, where in his senior year he was the proud Editor of the Arkansas Razorback yearbook and achieved national recognition for its excellence. During his sophomore year he contracted bulbar polio complete with an iron lung next to his bed. Fortunately for those who knew him, David survived -- and still graduated on his original schedule despite a six-month setback.

Upon graduation he began an illustrious 26-year career in the Bell System, first with Southwestern Bell and then with AT&T. After retiring as a senior executive from AT&T in 1983, he and his future wife Karen formed The Constell Group, an Information Technology and Project Management Consulting Company they ran together until they sold it in 1998. In all of his management positions, David was a decisive and charismatic leader widely revered by his staff.

David, with help from Karen, was the primary author of a Project Management Process called PROJEX, that drew national attention from major corporations. One Senior Vice President at Bell Atlantic said, “In 1995, I completed 1900 Information Systems projects – on time and on budget – I attribute my success to Constell’s PROJEX process.” (If you have ever done even one technical project like this, you will recognize a truly amazing accomplishment.)

A life-long Rotarian, David was a founding member of the Space Center Rotary Club in Clear Lake, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2014 and honored David as its sole surviving founder. Upon retiring to Sugar Land in 1998, David immediately joined Sugar Land Rotary where he and Karen made many friends. One of his life goals was to serve as a Rotary Club President and he was honored to be the Centennial President for 2004-2005. During his year clubs were encouraged to dramatically increase their Community Service projects, an objective he achieved in spades.

Under David’s leadership with a fantastic team of members, Sugar Land Rotary achieved record fundraising and completed five major projects:

• Created Heritage Plaza at the entrance to the University of Houston Sugar Land Campus including the installation of flags and flagpoles;

• A playground in a new Foster Children Community called Rio Bend in Richmond;

• An historical map of Fort Bend County in Sugar Land Town Square;

• A new Rotary Clay Softball Field in the Four Corners section of Sugar Land, an area which at the time did not have running water to all homes;

• A new Rotary Football and Soccer Field in the Four Corners area of Sugar Land.

The Rotary International President attended one of the ball field dedications. Sugar Land Rotary was awarded “Large Club of the Year” in a Rotary District of over 60 clubs.

David loved being in service to others and was a true believer in giving back to the community. In his 20s he and his first wife Jill established an ambitious daycare center in their Houston church. In 1974-5 he was one of the founding Board members of the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Bank. Later, in Fort Bend he proudly served on multiple 501(c)3 Boards, especially Child Advocates where he was also a Court Appointed Special Advocate for several years, and others such as the American Heart Association. In 2009 he was recognized as one of the community leaders that brought the Houston Museum of Natural Science to Sugar Land.

David’s 452-page memoir “Lucky and Blessed” about his family history and his life up to age 23 was an extensive collaboration which took input from family, friends, and neighbors. It required deep historical research as well as chronicling firsthand perspectives of life in Arkansas and America during WWII and the post-war era. David noted in the introduction that he wanted to write the book to instill the values of accountability and hard work in his descendants, particularly his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. "Show up, on time and ready to play", explains one parable. The text also highlights that his childhood had more similarities to someone who lived 200 years ago than it does to children and teens today. His "Traditionalist Generation" was in many ways the last of its kind, and his book tells this story beautifully.

He was working on his memoir sequel when another service opportunity took him totally out of retirement for four years. The sequel was never written, but this opportunity was by far the pinnacle of his service achievements.

Ten years ago, at age 78 and in failing health, David (and Karen) became enamored by a Prison Ministry where selected Texas Department of Criminal Justice prisoners attended a four-year accredited seminary and became “Field Ministers”, serving their fellow prisoners. David became a member of the Board financing the Seminary and led a fundraising effort to raise $2.2 million dollars to refurbish an abandoned gym at Darrington Prison in Rosharon TX for the seminary school facility. The transformation in the prisons where the Field Ministers serve and preach is astounding, and David’s efforts with the team he built made so much of that happen.

Since their 1998 retirement David and Karen travelled extensively with annual trips to Europe, and trips to Japan, Russia, Mexico, Canada, Hawaii and numerous trips in the continental US including New York City and a 7500-mile 7-week tour of the western states and parks in 2013.

David is survived by his loving wife of 37 years, Karen, sister Shirley, brother Paul (Dolena), sisters-in-law Judy Shaw and Gail Babula; daughters Mindy Faulkner (Joel), Julie Ramzel (Andy), son David Kalajian; grandchildren Jillian Vermeulen (Asa), Chris Shaw (Caiti), Emily Quick (Matt), Jack Ramzel, Alex Ramzel, Sofia Jatskevich Kalajian; great-grandchildren Marley, Vivienne, Cypress and Fern Vermeulen, Carli and Camille Shaw; nephews Bruce & Gary (Judy) Cheek, Mike (Debbie), Greg (Sonja), and Brian Shaw; nieces Brenda Boyce (Wayne), Paula Steele (Matt), Kelly Shaw and many grand and great-grand nieces and nephews and Palina Jatskevich.

He is predeceased by both parents, Cyrus and Hazel, sister Mary, brother John, brother-in-law Frank, and his nephew Jason.

A Celebration of David’s Life will be held at 11 AM on Saturday, March 18, 2023 at Sugar Land Methodist Church, 431 Eldridge Road, Sugar Land TX 77479. In lieu of flowers, donations in David’s memory can be made to Sugar Land Methodist Church, St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, Child Advocates of Fort Bend County, or the charity of your choice.