Raymond MacLeod Shaw

Raymond MacLeod Shaw Born February 12, 1939 born in Charlottetown hospital. Lived and attended school in Martinvale. Had his own farm, worked at the saw mill, drove a bus for thirty seven years and worked at riverside hospital as an orderly. Married September 13, 1962 to Audrey Ethel Jay.

 

Ray almost drowned in the river trying to move a log with his brothers Sterling and Gordon. He went into a deep spot and it pulled him under then he got up and it pulled him down again, he was unconscious by the time his brothers pulled him out, so they picked him up and started running home. Sterling and Gordon got tired so they set him down and each grabbed a foot and started running dragging him behind. He was bouncing along and when they hit the road water started coming out of him and that saved his life.

 

Raymond was playing cards with his friend Clarence and his brother Gordon. There was rumours of a ghost there and Clarence didn’t want to play after 12 o’clock but Ray and Gordon pushed him a little longer. They finished playing cards and jumped into Ray’s truck and headed home. He drove over a culvert and the truck quit. Clarence jumped out of the truck and started running home because of the ghost. Ray popped the hood and found out that the battery wasn’t connected to he hooked it back up and got the truck running and caught up to Clarence but he didn’t want to get back in.

 

Raymond’s son Kevin had a girlfriend Shannon who liked kittens. She was over at Raymond’s house and there was kittens outside so she went to get a kitten. Shannon thought it ran behind a welder where Ray was and she asked him to grab it. Ray reached behind and grabbed the tail but it was the tail of a skunk. He kept the skunk in his hand and yelled for somebody to bring the gun. When they got it he through the skunk at them and he shot it. The skunk didn’t spray but they shot it close to the house and the wind was blowing towards it.

 

Raymond was the islander of the year in 1986. There was more than a dozen letters nominating him which makes him a true humanitarian. He worked to improve the life of all those around him. He was chosen to receive the award by a panel of judges meeting in Charlottetown. Raymond didn’t even know he was nominated and it caught him completely off surprise.