SHAW

With deep sadness and profound love, we announce the passing of Marilyn June Read Shaw – beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, rancher, and the steady heart of our family.  She left this world surrounded by those who loved her most, leaving behind a legacy built with strength, grace, and quiet determination.  There is now a path left unridden, hoof-prints that stop too soon, a smile that lit up our days now rests in stillness.

Born in Outlook, Saskatchewan on June 17, 1944, to Bessie and Frank Read, Marilyn was a small-town, prairie girl through and through.  At the age of twelve years, her family made a difficult move to Alberta as her father faced the challenges of dementia, and her mother sought both work and support.  Even in the face of such change and uncertainty, Marilyn’s sense of resilience and responsibility only deepened – early lessons in strength and adaptability that shaped the woman she would become. 

She married the love of her life, her forever partner in everything, Richard Allan Shaw.  Their bond was unshakeable; a true partnership built on love, and a shared passion for the land and life they created together.  For over 60 years, they did everything side-by-side.  Ranching was more than a livelihood; it was their rhythm, their joy, and their shared legacy.  

Marilyn’s formative years of work and responsibility began at the Holy Cross Hospital as a ward aide, alongside her mother.  This experience shaped her deep work ethic and sense of duty and responsibility.  She later studied bookkeeping at Mount Royal University and worked for Andy’s Tire, ran the office and invoicing for Fish Creek Excavating, and eventually the Town of Okotoks. 

In Okotoks, Marilyn launched her business, XB-Bar Sewing, building it stitch by stitch.  She repaired and crafted custom equine gear – custom horse blankets, boot bags, hat bags, and anything else a rider or horse did not know they needed until she made it.  Her sewing was not just functional; it was art, done right and her way.

Marilyn and Richard lived briefly in Linden, Alberta, before settling in Okotoks, where they built a life over 30 years.  Their ranch was filled with horses, cattle, and any other animal one could raise – along with all the dust that comes with a well-lived life.  In 2007, they moved to their retirement ranch outside Bentley, Alberta.

Marilyn did not seek the spotlight, but she met life head-on – with steady hands, clear eyes, and a quiet kind of courage.  Whether she was joining the chase crew for a hot air balloon launch, climbing into a saddle, or hitching a cutter for a drive, she moved through life with resolve and an open heart.  She was the kind of person who would try anything at least once, sometimes twice, if it made for a good story.

Her bookshelf was a mosaic of her life – loved, well-used, and reflective of her ever-curious mind.  It held photography manuals beside gardening guides, western history alongside natural remedies, and composting techniques next to Canadian history books.  Her passion for antique collecting meant she rarely left an auction without a treasure tucked under her arm.  In later years, her collection grew to include books on investing and trading, as she taught herself to navigate the stock market in retirement.

Marilyn faced life, and later, cancer, with courage, clarity, and no time for nonsense.  Diagnosed in April 2025, she met her illness with the same quiet strength she brought to everything:  determined and still cracking jokes, even when the coffee was not up to par.

She asked for no long goodbyes.  Though her hoof-prints have faded from the path, her first wish is that you keep riding forward – that joy finds you, and the sun still warms your days.

We will miss her more than words can express.  But we will carry her with us in every honest laugh, every well-built fence, every sunset ride, and every wild, beautiful moment that reminds us of the life she so fully, fearlessly lived.

Marilyn is survived by her husband Richard Allan Shaw; her children Todd Read (Karen), Travis Read (Mandy), Roberta Lauzon (Stephane), and Zabrina Shaw (Eric); as well as grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  She now joins her parents, Bessie (1995) and Frank (1966).

True to Marilyn’s nature, they wished for no long goodbyes or fuss, no funeral or memorial will be held.  The family invites you to honour her memory in your own way.  If desired, the family kindly requests that donations be directed to the Central Alberta Cancer Centre, c/o Alberta Cancer Foundation, 710, 10123–99 Street NW, Edmonton, Alberta  T5J 3H1 (www.albertacancer.ca); or to The Lending Cupboard, #1, 7803–50 Avenue, Red Deer, Alberta  T4P 1M8 (www.lendingcupboard.ca).  Thoughts and messages to the family may be shared through the condolence area located at the bottom of this page.   

Cremation Arrangements for the Late Marilyn June Read Shaw entrusted to the care of