Charles Shaw

Charles "Chuck" A. Shaw, Jr., 85, of Watkins, passed away surrounded by loving family at St. Cloud Hospital on Monday, January 8, 2024.

A time of visitation will be held from 3:00-5:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 14, 2024, at the Church of St. Anthony with a prayer service beginning at 2:30 p.m. Visitation will continue at church at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, January 15, 2024. Memorial mass will take place at 11:00 a.m. with Father Michael Doyle officiating.

Chuck was born on September 29, 1938, in Litchfield, MN, to Charles and Anna (Weis) Shaw. He began dairy farming at the age of 16 after his father passed away, and then graduated from Litchfield Highschool. Farming became the rest of his life; dairy farming until 1994, and then crop farming through this past fall of 2023.

While roller skating in Kimball, Chuck met the love of his life, Margaret “Peggy” Schoen. After the couple courted for a couple of years, they were married on June 4, 1960, at the Church of St. Anthony in Watkins, MN. To this union the couple were blessed with three daughters: Jean, Kathy, and Joyce. Over the years, Chuck and Peggy enjoyed going out to dinner, dancing, fishing, and snowmobiling.  Also, Chuck enjoyed spending time with family at the farm.

Spending time outside working the farm and tinkering kept Chuck busy. He was a fix and repair man; working on his blue Ford tractors, snowmobiles, and other equipment. He enjoyed chopping and splitting wood for the wood-burning stove, fishing in the summer, and welding projects. The farm was everything to him. His family looked forward to the Shaw Pumpkin Patch and hayrides that coincided with his birthday every year. Though he could talk to friends and family for hours about farming and fishing, Chuck was known to be a quiet, stubborn man with his own way of doing things.  He loved everything “FORD” from cars to trucks to tractors, which lead to humorous teasing between Chevy family members. Chuck was an avid Green Bay Packer’s Fan, which brought playful rivalry from his Viking’s fan family members. During Saturday snowmobile poker runs, he always managed to find shortcuts to get him ahead of the rest of the crew.

Animals were a great love of Chuck’s. He was adamant that his cows produced better milk when listening to his music: old country and polka. For fourteen years, his favorite companion was Ike, his black lab, who went everywhere with him.

Chuck will be remembered as a good husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather with a likable, magnetic personality.

Left to cherish Chuck’s memory is his wife of 63 years, Peggy; his daughters: Jean (Mike) Belinsky, Kathy (Bob) Hansen, and Joyce (Tim) Spreiter; his grandchildren: April (Todd) Griffith, Steven (Kayla) Belinsky, Ashley Hansen, Alicia Hansen, Josh (Derek) Spreiter, and Kalley (Bryce) Manning; his great-grandchildren: Katy, Abby, Kaiden, Kylie, Kaleah, and Kendalyn; his sister, Patricia Kelly; his sisters-in-law, Millie Schoen; Evelyn (John) Gagnon; his brother-in-law, Willie (Mickey) Schoen; as well as many nieces and nephews.

Preceding him in death were his nephews, Kevin Schoen and Ron Kelly; brothers-in-law: William Kelly, Pat Crowe, Jack Schoen, and Charlie Schoen; sisters-in-law, Betty Gorton and Rita Schoen; and his beloved four-legged pal, Ike.

In lieu of flowers or plants, memorial donations may be made in Chuck’s name to the Humane Society of Kandiyohi and Meeker Counties.