Shaw, Elizabeth C. (Cavaliere)
Elizabeth “Betty” Shaw, 94, passed peacefully surrounded by family on April 7, 2021 in Woburn MA. She was born on March 1, 1927 to Elizabeth (Cornetta) and Joseph Cavaliere in East Boston, MA, in a large and close family. She attended East Boston High School and was the first woman in her family to attend college, earning a bachelor’s degree in Education from Salem State Teachers’ College (now Salem State University).
She leaves behind her five children: Henry and wife Marina Hsieh of San Ramon CA; Elizabeth of Concord; Kara Shaw McWeeney and husband Cyril of Reading; Gordon and wife Arlene Correa of Leeds; and Glenn of Provincetown. She also leaves her four beloved grandchildren: Meghan (McWeeney) Melo and husband Joseph, Matthew McWeeney, Alejandro Shaw-Correa, and Harrison Shaw, as well as her sisters Florence and Eleanor Cavaliere. Betty was predeceased by her husband of 36 years, Harry Shaw Jr., her parents, and her siblings Carmela Masucci, Mary Cavaliere, Anna Kassay, and Joseph Cavaliere.
After graduating college, Betty taught high school business courses and third grade in public schools in Montauk NY and Boston. She gave up teaching to raise a family after marrying Harry, her East Boston neighbor, on his birthday in Boston in 1954. She was a beautiful young woman, and Harry always said he had much competition for her attention! Betty returned to the workforce in the 1980s, working as an administrative assistant in the Development Office and American Studies Department at Tufts University.
Betty and Harry loved to travel, and they visited many parts of the U.S. and the world, both with children in tow and sans children. Betty also loved to cook and entertain, skills that she passed on to her children and grandchildren, all of whom are highly competent in the kitchen.
She was active in her church and local community. She was the president of the Parish Guild at St. Eulalia’s Church and served as the travel coordinator for the Jenks Senior Center, both in Winchester.
Betty’s most treasured legacy was her children. Always pushing them to excel, she took great pride in their achievement and had no compunctions about touting their accomplishments to anyone who would listen. She was most proud of the efforts she and her family exerted in association with The Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential in Pennsylvania related to their work on child brain development.
Visitation hours will be 4:00 – 7:00 pm on April 12, 2021 at the Costello Funeral Home, 177 Washington St, Winchester MA 01890. Please be reminded to wear a face mask, enter through the front door, and practice social-distancing.
A Funeral Mass will be held at St. Eulalia’s Catholic Church, 50 Ridge St., Winchester, MA 01890, on April 13, 2021 at 11:00 am. The mass will be streamed live at www.sainteulalia.org/live-stream. There will also be a visiting hour preceding the mass, from 9:30am to 10:30am at the Costello Funeral Home. Interment in the family plot at the Holy Cross Cemetery, Malden, will follow the mass.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to Minute Man Arc, 35 Forest Ridge Road, Concord MA 01742. Your contributions will support this organization’s work to improve the lives of children and adults with disabilities.