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Elizabeth Ann Shaw died at the East Glen nursing home in Trussville, Alabama, on August 20, 2022.

A funeral service will be held on Thursday, August 25, 2022 at Union, the Church at Chelsea Park, at 2PM. The visitation will begin at 1PM. Pastor Patrick Smith is presiding and Bolton Funeral Home is directing.

Elizabeth was born in Wilsonville, Alabama, in 1930. She was the second daughter of William Franklin Shaw and Ruby Stone Shaw, both from old Shelby County farming families. Elizabeth later moved with her family into Birmingham, where her father worked as a railroad fireman at TCI in Fairfield, and where she graduated from Jones Valley High School. She later attended both Samford University and UAB.

Keenly intelligent, fiercely independent, and a skilled typist and stenographer, Elizabeth forged a career as an executive secretary that would take her across the country. By 1950, she was working for Military Services Company/EBSCO Industries, including a stint in New York City, where she helped to establish EBSCO’s presence in the area. She later worked in Birmingham for the Alabama Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (AAICU), representing AAICU at events around the US as part of Executive Women International.

While Elizabeth had an adventurous spirit and a no-nonsense approach to office management, she was also deeply devoted to her family and friends. She was the primary caregiver for her parents in their later years, and, after her mother’s passing, she became a grandmother figure for generations of nieces and nephews (to whom she was Aunt Libby). She always remembered birthdays and was a gracious host, down to the littlest visitors, for whom she kept a closet full of toys.

Elizabeth faced rheumatoid arthritis with a dry wit and a steely determination, refusing to allow the condition to define her. She travelled as much as possible into her later years (including to watch her beloved Crimson Tide) and lived largely independently, almost until the end. Her struggles deepened her appreciation for the struggles of others, and she would quietly reach out to people who might feel hurt or alone.

Elizabeth will be dearly missed by her brother Gene Shaw, sisters Mary Nichols, Billie Faye Greenhill, Martha Fant, and Sally (Bill) McKerley, as well as numerous nieces and nephews.

She is preceded in death by her parents, two brothers (Ralph and George), sister-in-law Rosemary Shaw, and brothers-in-law Carl Nichols and A.C. Greenhill.

The family would like to thank the caregivers who attended Elizabeth during her last years, including the staff of GH Services, Enhabit Hospice, Compassus Hospice, and East Glen.

Memorials may be sent to the Arthritis Foundation. Please sign online condolences at www.boltonfuneralhome.com