Paul Shaver

He was born January 25, 1940, in Grand Coulee, WA to the late Paul Mack Shaver and Florence Irene “Toots” (Hawkins) Shaver of Little Rock, Arkansas. Paul graduated from Fort Smith High School in 1958. He received his Bachelor of Arts from Harvard University in 1962, where he met and married his first wife, the late Frances Fletcher Smith of Madison, Virginia. The young couple moved to Fayetteville, where he received his Juris Doctor from the University of Arkansas in 1965, and was a member of the Arkansas Law Review 1963-65 before returning to Fort Smith, where he joined the firm then known as Warner, Warner and Ragon. Paul and Frances, who passed in 2018, had 2 daughters, Catherine B. Lea of Orange, Virginia and Virginia M. Blaser (Mitch) of Cape Town, South Africa, and 6 grandchildren, Anna, Sarah, Rebecca, Benjamin, Abigail and Isabella.

Paul met and married his second wife, the late Loretta Anama of Bakersfield, CA, in Fort Smith. Paul and Loretta, who passed in 2019, had two children, Michael J. Bell of Westwood, New Jersey and Laura A. Kempe of Fort Smith, and 5 grandchildren, Haley, Genevieve, Joshua, Christine and Peter.

Paul moved his law practice to Oklahoma City where he was a respected oil and gas attorney. There he met and married the late Lee Ann Overton. Paul and Lee, who passed in 1986, had two children, Gregory M. Shaver (Erica Jo) of West Lafayette, IN and Jeffrey M. Shaver (Elizabeth) of Fort Smith, and 4 grandchildren, William, Allison, Katherine and Connor Mack.

Paul received his PhD. in organizational management and mass communications from the University of Oklahoma in 1991, where he met, and later married the late Lynda Dixon. He served as a professor of Communications in Oklahoma, New Mexico and Indiana. During that time, Paul was a delegate to the 1992 Democratic Party Convention.

In the late 1990’s, Paul returned to the oil and gas industry, founding the Sabine River Land Co. in Sugarland, Texas. In 2004, Paul moved back to Fort Smith, continuing his practice of oil and gas law until his retirement. He was a member of the Arkansas and Oklahoma Bar, a Certified Professional Landman and a lifelong Democrat.

His children also celebrate their mothers and the other remarkable women who shared his life, including companions Suzie, Mary, Sandra, Carol and others.

The family will receive visitors on Saturday, January 11 at 2pm at Edwards Funeral Home. A private interment will follow. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions to Jeffrey-Glidewell Boys & Girls Club 4905 North ‘O’ Street, Fort Smith, AR 72904 would be appreciated.