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Phyllis C. Shaw
Phyllis C. Shaw of Southampton and New York City died at Fritz Reuter Retirement Center in North Bergen, New Jersey, on Saturday, January 14. She was 88 and in declining health.
Ms. Shaw was a longtime member of the Oratorio Society, singing at many concerts in the area. She was active in Democratic campaigns and passionate about animal welfare.
A daughter of the late Ethel and Arnold Shaw of Nutley, New Jersey, Ms. Shaw graduated from Collegiate School in Passaic, New Jersey, and served in the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service, better known as WAVES, during World War II as an air traffic controller in Florida. She graduated from Cornell University and was awarded a Fulbright fellowship to teach in Douay, France. Fluent in French, she worked at the American Embassy in Paris. She returned to the U.S. and worked for the United Nations, IBM and McGraw-Hill. She was a science writer for the publication “Medical World News” and a freelance writer for several organizations.
Ms. Shaw and her partner, the late Bill Nichik, were avid tennis players as well as “beachniks” and enjoyed life in the oceanside community. They shared their home with several small poodles.
Ms. Shaw is survived by two sisters, Barbara Welch of Virginia and Marilyn Weil of Illinois; niece and nephews, Mary Welch Culham, Douglas Welch, Richard Welch and Thomas Welch.
A memorial service is planned for a future date.
on Jan 24, 2012