L. James Shaw Jr. (1943-2024)

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of, L. James Shaw, Jr., loving life partner of the late, Lynda Watson, affectionately known as Jim, who passed away peacefully on, October 1, 2024, at the age of 81 in Tarpon Springs, Florida.

Born in Rochester, New York, Jim began his career in the insurance business in the early 1970s. His life, however, took a dramatic turn after a fateful trip to Nantucket Island. Accompanied by his wife Joanne and their newborn son, Jim joined his friend Kevin Shore on a lobster boat and immediately fell in love with the sea. Inspired by the experience, Jim packed his family into their VW bug and moved to Nantucket, where he became a lobster fisherman. He purchased a 42-foot Bruno Stillman boat, which he aptly named *Stone Horse*, and from that moment forward, the ocean became Jim’s life.

After years of fishing the waters of Nantucket, Jim expanded his horizons as a long-line sword fisherman, chasing fish across the seas from Puerto Rico to Venezuela, and later to Hawaii. When swordfishing became scarce, Jim found himself working on a freighter, transporting arms across the Pacific, with stops in Hawaii, Washington, Japan, Guam, and other ports. His love for the water endured until his final career stint on a tugboat in Tampa Bay, where he retired from a life of seafaring adventures.

Jim was larger than life and known for his boundless kindness and generosity. His magnetic personality made him the life of every gathering, drawing people to him wherever he went. Whether he was visiting Nantucket or Puerto Rico, Jim was a man who could hardly walk down the street without stopping to talk to everyone he met—he was, in many ways, the “Mayor” of every place he called home.

He is survived by his former wife Joanne S. Shaw and beloved children, L. James Shaw III and Erin Shaw,  who carry forward his legacy of warmth and generosity. His adventurous spirit, infectious charm, and love for the sea will live on in the hearts of all who knew him.

A service to honor Jim’s incredible life will be announced at a later date.

Jim’s family would like to share the **Fisherman’s Prayer** in his memory:  

God grant that I may live to fish until my dying day,  

and when it comes to my last cast I then must humbly pray.  

When in the Lord's safe landing net I'm peacefully asleep.  

That in His mercy, I be judged good enough to keep.

Rest in peace, Jim. You will be deeply missed by all who had the pleasure of knowing you.