Hollis William Shaw was born May 17, 1931, in Durham, North Carolina, to Grover and Catherine Shaw. He passed away on December 25, 2023, in Durham. Hollis graduated from Lincoln Academy in 1949 and served in the Air Force from 1951 to 1955. He graduated from Talladega College in 1959 and earned his master’s in clinical psychology from NCCU in 1961. He married Genora Lassiter in 1965.
After eight years working as a clinical psychologist at schools for the developmentally disabled, Hollis began working in 1970 at the Wassaic Developmental Center in Wassaic, NY. In 1978, he was promoted to Director, managing a facility that housed more than two thousand people with developmental disabilities. He retired as Director in 1995. His time at Wassaic was his life’s work and his proudest achievement. Hollis was an educator, a reformer, and a passionate advocate for social equity.
He is predeceased by his parents; his brother, Grover Jr.; his sister, Naomi Shaw Watson; his granddaughter, Angela Johnson Dewar; and his wife of 56 years, Genora Lassiter Shaw.
He leaves to cherish his memory his daughters, Kathryn Shaw and Rev. Chaneta L. Johnson; his brother, Bob; his sisters, Marie Shaw Simmons and Helen S. Forte; his sister-in-law, Georgia L. Lawrence; and his “brother-in-love,” Ed Johnson. He also leaves three grandchildren; eleven great-grandchildren; one great-great-granddaughter; and a host of
loving relatives and friends.
His service will be held at 1:00 pm on Saturday, January 6, 2024, at Burthey Funeral Chapel 1510 Fayetteville Street Durham, NC 27707. The family will receive friends from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm prior to the service. The public viewing will take place Friday, January 5, 2024, from 1:00 pm to 6:00 pm at the funeral home.
